^^^•^^ 


^72. 


LIBRARY 


'his  book  is  due  two  weeks  from  the  last  date 
stamped  below,  and  if  not  returned  or  renewed  at  or 
before  that  time  a  fine  of  five  cents  a  day  will  be  incurred. 


MAY  17  1924. 

.^ 

THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 


THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 


BY 
LOUIS  THOMAS  JONES 


PUBLISHED  AT  IOWA  CITY  IOWA  IN  1914  BY 
THE   STATE   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY   OF   IOWA 


C'XCIiai  i>^,^ 


:riAN  3  0  17 


EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION 

This  volume  on  The  Quakers  of  Iowa  was 
written  by  Dr.  Jones  at  the  request  of  The  State 
Historical  Society  of  Iowa.  For  the  task  the 
author  was  peculiarly  fitted  both  by  temperament 
and  by  training.  Moreover,  his  membership  in 
the  Society  of  Friends  gave  him  ready  access  to 
much  material  which  an  outsider  could  not  have 
hoped  to  obtain. 

Although  the  Quakers  have  not  been  numer- 
ous in  Iowa,  the  influence  of  their  attitude  toward 
life  has  been  considerable  in  the  history  of  the 
Commonwealth. 

Benj.  F.  Shambaugh 

Office  of  the  Superintendent  and  Editor 

The  State  Historical  Society  of  Iowa 

Iowa  City  Iowa 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 

In  the  present  work  the  author  has  endeavored  to 
present  the  essential  features  of  the  history  of  the 
people  called  the  Quakers,  from  the  time  of  their 
first  appearance  in  Iowa  down  to  the  present  time. 
To  accomplish  this  within  the  limits  of  a  single 
volume  the  writer  has  been  compelled  to  omit  many 
matters  of  local  interest.  Space  permitted  only  the 
briefest  mention  of  those  who  have  been  the  leaders 
in  many  of  the  fields  of  church  activity;  while  as 
regards  the  Friends'  communities,  many  Iowa 
Quaker  meetings,  particularly  in  the  western  part 
of  the  State,  are  not  even  so  much  as  mentioned. 
To  explain  this  omission  the  writer  desires  to  state 
that  it  has  been  his  purpose  to  trace  in  detail  the 
rise  of  only  those  settlements  which  formed  the 
basis  of  Iowa  Quakerism  before  the  founding  of  the 
Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends  in  1863.  After  that 
time  the  subject  has  been  dealt  with  as  a  whole. 
Much  of  local  and  personal  interest  has  thus  been 
sacrificed  in  these  pages. 

Much  of  the  initial  work  on  this  volume  was  done 
during  the  three  years  when  the  writer  was  con- 

7 


Al^TIIOK'S  PREFACE 


nectcMl  with  Peiin  College  at  Oskaloosa,  Iowa,  where 
he  had  access  to  the  rich  collection  of  manuscript 
records  stored  in  the  college  vault.  During  the  last 
fifteen  months  of  his  researches  the  writer  lived  at 
Iowa  City  and  was  connected  with  The  State  His- 
torical Society  of  Iowa,  thus  having  the  advantage 
of  its  valuable  library.  Most  of  the  materials  used, 
however,  were  secured  from  outside  sources  which 
are  indicated  in  the  notes  and  references.  The 
writer's  acquaintance  with  almost  the  entire  Iowa 
field,  together  with  his  personal  correspondence  with 
the  principal  members  of  the  various  sects,  made 
possible  a  familiarity  with  the  present  conditions  in 
the  various  branches  of  the  Society  in  Iowa  which 
proved  to  be  of  great  value. 

The  writer  desires  to  take  this  opportunity  to 
express  his  gratitude  to  the  large  number  of  persons, 
both  in  Iowa  and  elsewhere,  who  have  cooperated  in 
bringing  together  the  materials  used  in  this  work. 
To  Dr.  David  M.  Edwards  and  Dr.  Stephen  M. 
Hadley,  both  of  Oskaloosa,  Iowa,  the  writer  is  great- 
ly indebted  for  valued  assistance.  Thanks  are  also 
due  to  Miss  Florence  Franzen  and  to  Mr.  Jacob  Van 
der  Zee  of  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  for  their  help  in  verify- 
ing the  manuscript.  Much  credit  for  whatever  merit 
the  work  may  possess  is  due  to  Dr.  Dan  E.  Clark, 
Assistant  Editor  of  The  State  Historical  Society  of 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 


Iowa,  for  his  many  suggestions,  corrections  on  the 
manuscript,  and  for  the  index.  And  finally,  only 
through  the  continued  interest,  assistance,  and  ad- 
vice of  Dr.  Benjamin  F.  Shambaugh,  Superintendent 
of  The  State  Historical  Society  of  Iowa,  has  the 
publication  of  the  volume  in  its  present  form  been 
made  possible. 

Louis  T.  Jones 

The  State  Historical  Society  of  Iowa 
Iowa  City 


CONTENTS 


Editor's  Introduction        .... 
Author's  Preface      .         .         .         .         . 

PARTI 

HISTORICAL  NARRATIVE 

I.  The  Rise  and  Spread  of  Quakerism  . 
II.     The  Quakers  in  the  American  Colonies 

III.  Westward  Migration 

IV.  The  Planting  of  Quakerism  in  Iowa 
V.     The  Quakers  in  the  Back  Counties 

VI.     The  Iowa  Field  in  1850  . 

VII.     A  Decade  of  Expansion  1850  to  1860 

VIII.     The    Formation    op    the    Iowa    Yearly 
Meeting  of  Friends     . 

IX.     The  First  Yearly  Meeting  in  Iowa 

X.     A  Retrospect  of  Fifty  Years 

PART  II 
IOWA  QUAKER  ORTHODOXY 

I.     The  Rise  of  Evangelism  in  Iowa     . 

II.  The  Pastoral  System  Among  the  Iowa 

Friends        ...... 


17 
25 
31 

38 
48 
56 
67 

74 

80 

85 


95 

103 
11 


12  CONTENTS 


111.     The  Iowa  Orthodox  Quaker  ]\Iinistry      .  109 

IV.  The  General  Superintendent         .          .  118 
y.     The  Christian  Workers'  Assembly          .  124 

VI.     Modern  Quakerism  in  Iowa      .         .         .  127 

PART  III 
THE  MINORITY  BODIES  OF  FRIENDS  IN  IOWA 

I.     The  Anti-Slavery  Friends  in  Iowa         .  133 

11.     The  Hicksite  Friends  in  Iowa       .         .  146 

III.  The  Wilbur  Friends  in  Iowa  .         .  154 

IV.  The  Conservative  Friends  in  Iowa:  The 

Separation  of  1877       ....  163 

V.     The  Conservative  Friends  in  Iowa:  The 

Separation  at  Salem  and  Springdale    .  171 

VI.     The  Norwegian  Friends  in  Iow^a      .  .  175 

VII.     Quaker  Conservatism  and  its  Future  in 

Iowa 181 

PART  IV 
BENEVOLENT  AND  EDUCATIONAL  ENTERPRISES 

I.     The  Iowa  Quakers  and  the  Negroes        .  187 

II.     The   Iowa   Quakers   and   the   American 

Indians 203 

III.  White 's  Iowa  Manual  Labor  Institute    .  215 

IV.  Missionary  AcTmTiES  of  the  Iowa  Friends  232 

V.  Educational  Work  Among  the  Iowa  Friends  240 


CONTENTS 


13 


PART  V 
RELIGIOUS  AND  SOCIAL  LIFE  OF  THE  QUAKERS 


I. 

Religious  Beliefs  op  the  Quakers   . 

253 

11. 

Thf.  Quaker  Meeting 

258 

III. 

Quaker  jMarriages  .... 

262 

IV. 

Quaker  Manners  and  Customs 

269 

V. 

Quaker  Home  Life 

278 

Appendices      ..... 

283 

Notes  and  References     . 

295 

Index 

339 

PART  I 
HISTORICAL  NARRATIVE 


15 


THE  EISE  AND  SPREAD  OF  QUAKERISM 

It  was  during  the  reign  of  the  Stuarts  in  England 
that  Quakerism  first  appeared.  The  absolutism  of 
Charles  I  was  at  that  time  in  sharp  conflict  with  the 
chartered  rights  of  Englishmen;  and  the  great  and 
influential  Church  of  England  was  doing  all  in  its 
power  to  crush  the  new-born  Puritan  advance. 
Royal  tyranny  had  come  face  to  face  with  the  rising 
spirit  of  popular  liberty,  and  religious  intolerance 
was  being  met  on  every  hand  by  an  insistent  demand 
for  freedom  of  worship.  There  were  Roundheads 
and  Cavaliers,  High-churchmen  and  Non-conform- 
ists, Puritans  and  Separatists,  Presbyterians  and 
Independents;  and  in  addition  to  this  turmoil  of 
conflicting  and  contending  factions  in  religion, 
England  was  plunged  into  all  the  horrors  of  a  civil 
war.  In  this  period  of  political,  social,  and  religious 
upheaval  Quakerism  was  born. 

The  real  message  of  Quakerism  contained  little 
that  was  new :  from  a  religious  point  of  view  it  was 
little  more  than  a  revival  of  primitive  Christianity.^ 
With  all  the  vitality  of  a  new  movement  it  grappled 
with  the  great  religious,  social,  and  political  prob- 
lems of  the  day ;  and,  partly  because  of  the  resistless 
power  of  its  simple  message,  many  of  the  forces 

2  17 


18  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

wliicli  have  oppressed  humanity  have  since  disap- 
peared. Against  Roman  Catholic  and  Puritan 
intolerance  alike,  against  the  wrongs  of  human 
slavery,  and  against  the  ravages  and  the  barbarity 
of  war,  the  Quakers  have  consistently  raised  their 
protest.  Time  after  time  they  have  suffered  perse- 
cution for  the  sake  of  their  testimonies ;  but  what  has 
cost  them  dear  has  been  the  world's  gain.^  Small  as 
has  always  been  the  Religious  Society  of  Friends,  in 
the  work  of  reform  and  in  the  uplift  of  humanity  it 
has  borne  a  share  out  of  all  proportion  to  its 
numbers.^  And  now  at  a  time  when  internal  decay 
and  the  larger  religious  movements  of  the  day 
threaten  the  existence  of  this  peculiar  sect,  the  world 
is  just  beginning  to  awaken  to  an  adequate  appreci- 
ation of  the  work  which  the  Quakers  have  done.^ 

For  the  origin  of  the  message,  the  testimonies, 
and  the  fundamental  principles  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  one  instinctively  turns  to  the  life  and  the 
work  of  its  founder,  George  Fox.  From  him  came 
the  cardinal  teachings  of  Quakerism  and  its  form  of 
organization  —  at  once  so  simple  and  so  efficient 
that,  notwithstanding  the  altered  circumstances  of 
the  Society  and  the  changing  times,  both  remain 
to-day,  in  all  parts  of  the  world  where  Quakers  are 
found,  essentially  as  they  were  within  forty  years 
after  the  rise  of  the  order. 

George  Fox  was  born  "in  the  month  called  July, 
in  the  year  1624,  at  Drayton  in  the  Clay,  in  Leicester- 
shire." His  father,  Christopher  Fox,  was  a  weaver 
by  profession,  and  because  of  his  upright  character 


RISE  AND  SPREAD  OF  QUAKERISM  19 

was  often  spoken  of  as  ^^Eighteous  Christer''.^  His 
mother  possessed  a  deeply  religious  temperament, 
and  was  tenderly  devoted  to  her  family.  In  his 
youth,  George  was  of  a  retiring  disposition,  being 
^'religious,  inward,  still,  solid,  and  observing,  beyond 
his  years '^^  As  he  grew  into  a  larger  consciousness 
of  life  he  became  troubled  in  spirit  over  what  he 
believed  to  be  the  inherent  sin  within  him.  Amidst 
the  intensity  of  his  inward  struggles,  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  years,  on  ^^the  ninth  of  the  seventh  month, 
1643^',  he  left  home,  "broke  off  all  familiarity  or 
fellowship  with  young  or  old '  \  and  began  to  wander 
from  place  to  place  in  search  for  rest  of  soul.  He 
sought  the  counsel  and  comfort  of  many  priests  and 
religious  people  of  England,  but  he  "found  no 
comfort  from  them."  A  certain  priest  at  Mansetter 
in  Warwickshire  at  one  time  bade  him  ^  ^  take  tobacco 
and  sing  psalms"^  to  quiet  the  agony  of  his  troubled 
heart.  Often  he  walked  in  lonely  places,  and  out 
under  the  stars  at  night.  So  heavily  weighed  the 
sense  of  the  world's  lost  condition  upon  him  that  he 
said  his  blood  seemed  ^  ^  dried  up  with  sorrows,  grief, 
and  troubles",  and  he  almost  wished  that  he  had 
never  been  born. 

As  Fox  longed  for  spiritual  rest,  so  he  continued 
to  search.  For  over  a  year  he  w^andered  through 
Derbyshire,  Leicestershire,  and  Nottinghamshire, 
during  which  time  he  relates:  "I  fasted  much, 
walked  abroad  in  solitary  places  many  days,  and 
often  took  my  bible,  and  sate  in  hollow  trees  and 
lonesome  places  till  night  came  on ;  and  frequently  in 


20  THE  QUAKERS  OP  IOWA 

the  night  walked  mournfully  about  by  myself :  for  I 
was  a  man  of  sorrows  in  the  time  of  the  first  work- 
ings of  the  Lord  in  me/^^  When  he  had  come  to  the 
point  where  his  confidence  in  the  priests  and  his 
faith  in  men  generally  were  gone,  so  that  he  had 
nothing  outwardly  to  help  him,  ^Hhen,  0  then,'^  he 
says,  ^*I  heard  a  voice  which  said,  *  There  is  one,  even 
Christ  Jesus,  that  can  speak  to  thy  condition.' 
When  I  heard  it,  my  heart  did  leap  for  joy."^ 

From  this  time  on  Fox  had  a  realization  of  God 
such  as  few  men  in  any  times  have  experienced. 
Indeed,  from  the  intense  inward  struggles  of  this 
one  man  have  emanated  influences  which  have  pro- 
foundly affected  the  world 's  thought.  Consciousness 
of  inherent  sin,  futility  of  all  earthly  agencies  to 
redeem,  personal  and  direct  divine  revelation,  and  a 
universal  and  inherent  ability  to  perceive  God  — 
these  constitute  the  message  which  George  Fox 
brought  to  the  world.  He  preached  these  ideas  with 
all  of  their  power  and  freshness  to  a  people  already 
torn  with  many  dissensions,  and  they  were  like  oil 
thrown  upon  flames.  The  very  term  '' Quaker ''^^ 
tells  the  story.  With  astounding  rapidity  the  teach- 
ings of  George  Fox  spread  in  England,  and  for  a 
time  it  seemed  as  though  the  faith  of  the  whole 
nation  would  be  shaken. 

England  was  well  prepared  to  receive  the  mes- 
sage of  the  Quakers.  The  English  Reformation  had 
done  its  work.  About  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth 
century  great  gatherings  for  the  discussion  of 
religious  questions  were  common  in  the  fields,  at  the 


RISE  AND  SPREAD  OF  QUAKERISM  21 

fairs,  in  the  market-places,  and  at  the  churches.  In 
his  Journal,  Fox  makes  frequent  reference  to  his 
attendance  at  such  meetings  even  before  he  began  to 
preach.  There  was  also  a  widespread  knowledge  and 
interest  in  the  scriptures  among  the  masses  of  the 
people.  The  half-century  before  the  time  of  George 
Fox  has  been  described  as  a  period  when  * '  England 
became  the  people  of  a  book,  and  that  book  was  the 
Bible.  It  was  as  yet  the  one  English  book  which 
was  familiar  to  every  Englishman;  it  was  read  at 
churches  and  read  at  home,  and  everywhere  its 
words,  as  they  fell  on  ears  which  custom  had  not 
deadened  to  their  force  and  beauty,  kindled  a  start- 
ling enthusiasm. ' '  Moreover,  the  *^  whole  moral 
effect  which  is  produced  now-a-days  by  the  religious 
newspaper,  the  tract,  the  essay,  the  lecture,  the 
missionary  report,  the  sermon,  was  then  produced  by 
the  Bible  alone. ''^^ 

Fox  early  took  advantage  of  these  two  agencies. 
The  general  religious  gatherings  offered  an  excellent 
opportunity  to  propagate  religious  ideas;  and  his 
extensive  knowledge  of  the  scriptures  made  it  pos- 
sible for  him  to  appeal  strongly  to  the  masses  of  the 
people.  At  first  he  seems  merely  to  have  attended 
these  meetings,  occasionally  taking  part  in  the  open 
discussions,  but  by  1647  he  was  actively  engaged  in 
preaching.  Throwing  his  influence  boldly  against 
ecclesiasticism,  he  soon  became  one  of  the  most 
powerful  preachers  of  the  day. 

William  Penn,  who  knew  Fox  personally,  said 
of  him : 


22  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

He  was  a  man  that  God  endowed  with  a  clear  and 
wonderful  depth,  a  discerner  of  others'  spirits,  and  very 
Hiuch  a  master  of  his  own.  .  .  .  And  his  ministry  and 
writings  show  they  are  from  one  that  was  not  taught  of 
man,  nor  had  learned  what  he  said  by  study.  ...  He 
had  an  extraordinary  gift  in  opening  the  scriptures.  He 
would  go  to  the  marrow  of  things,  and  shew  the  mind, 
harmony,  and  fulfilling  of  them  with  much  plainness,  and 
to  great  comfort  and  edification.  .  .  .  But  above  all  he 
excelled  in  prayer.  The  inwardness  and  weight  of  his  spirit, 
the  reverence  and  solemnity  of  his  address  and  behaviour, 
and  the  fewness  and  fullness  of  his  words,  have  often  struck 
even  strangers  with  admiration,  as  they  used  to  reach  others 
with  consolation.  The  most  awful,  living,  reverent  frame  I 
ever  felt  or  beheld,  I  must  say,  was  his  in  prayer.^^ 

Such  was  the  man  and  such  was  his  message.  He 
began  his  work  in  the  northern  counties  of  England, 
and  with  marvelous  rapidity  his  doctrines  spread  in 
all  directions.  In  an  epistle  written  to  a  friend  in 
1676  he  says : 

The  truth  sprang  up  first  to  us,  so  as  to  be  a  people  to  the 
Lord,  in  Leicestershire  [his  home  county]  in  1644,  in 
Warwickshire  [the  county  adjoining  on  the  south]  in  1645, 
in  Nottinghamshire  in  1646,  in  Derbyshire  in  1647  [both 
counties  adjoining  on  the  north],  and  in  the  adjacent 
counties  in  1648,  1649,  and  1650 ;  in  Yorkshire  in  1651,  in 
Lancashire  and  Westmoreland  in  1652,  in  Cumberland, 
Durham,  and  Northumberland  in  1653,  in  London  and  most 
of  the  other  parts  of  England,  Scotland,  and  Ireland,  in 
1654. 

In  1655  many  went  beyond  sea,  where  truth  also  sprang 
up,  and  in  1656  it  broke  forth  in  America  and  many  other 
places.  ^^ 


RISE  AND  SPREAD  OF  QUAKERISM  23 

Thus,  within  a  period  of  about  ten  years  the  new 
movement  had  taken  root  in  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland,  and  then  spread  to  the  colonies.  Naturally 
enough,  persecution  pursued  the  Quakers ;  but  perse- 
cution served  only  to  fan  the  flames  and  spread  the 
sparks.  Fox  imbued  his  followers  Avith  his  own 
spirit  and  enthusiasm.  In  the  year  1654  he  records 
that  there  were  about  sixty  ministers  whom  ^^the 
Lord  raised  up,  and  did  now  send  abroad  out  of  the 
north  country.'' 

One  distinguishing  feature  marks  this  period  of 
Quaker  history,  namely,  its  all-absorbing  missionary 
spirit.  To  the  Quakers  there  was  no  sacrifice  too 
great  to  be  made,  and  no  suffering  too  keen  to  be 
endured  for  the  sake  of  the  spread  of  *' truth".  A 
second  order  of  Jesuits  seemed  to  have  appeared. 
They  were  persecuted,  it  is  true,  but  they  wore  out 
persecution  by  their  passive  resistance.  To  the 
confiscation  of  their  estates  they  patiently  submitted. 
They  were  thrown  into  loathsome  prisons,  but  even 
there  they  preached  the  message.  Nothing  could 
crush  them.  Driven  by  the  spirit  within  them  and 
by  the  severe  laws,  they  migrated  to  other  lands. 
France,  Germany,  Holland,  Norway,  Italy,  Turkey, 
and  Palestine  were  visited.  The  Czar  of  Eussia  was 
supplied  with  literature  which  explained  the  new 
message,  and  an  attempt  was  made  to  convert  the 
Pope  at  Rome.^^  Then  the  movement  swept  west- 
ward, and  Barbadoes,  Bermuda,  and  Jamaica  were 
overrun  by  the  Quaker s.^'^ 

On  the  eleventh  day  of  July,  1656,  a  day  full  of 


24  THE  QUAKERS  OP  IOWA 


import  to  the  red  men  of  America,  to  the  white  men 
who  were  to  supplant  them,  and  to  the  negroes  here 
to  be  enslaved,  the  first  Quakers  landed  on  the  shores 
of  New  England  —  a  landing  long  to  be  remembered 
in  the  annals  of  that  Puritan  realm. 


II 

THE  QUAKERS  IN  THE  AMERICAN 
COLONIES 

The  first  Quakers  known  to  have  set  foot  on 
American  soil  were  two  women,  Ann  Austin  and 
Mary  Fisher,  who  appeared  in  Boston  harbor  on 
July  11,  1656,  having  come  from  the  island  of 
Barbadoes  for  the  express  purpose  of  bearing  testi- 
mony against  the  religious  deadness  and  formality 
of  the  Puritans. 

Long  had  the  Puritans  of  New  England  heard  of 
the  turmoil  raised  in  the  home-land  by  the  trouble- 
some Quakers ;  and  now  they  had  them  at  their  very 
doors.  Why  should  they  come  hither  to  disturb  the 
peace  and  quiet  of  the  wilderness?  These  were 
Puritan  shores.  The  Puritans,  as  ** Pilgrims'^  in  a 
strange  land,  had  come  to  New  England  in  order 
that  they  might  live  according  to  their  own  ideals 
and  worship  God  in  their  own  way.  They  had  their 
own  institutions  and  their  own  customs,  which  to 
them  were  dear  and  sacred.  At  infinite  cost  they 
had  built  up  a  commonwealth  in  the  wilderness, 
based  on  the  laws,  statutes,  and  ordinances  of  God. 
They  had  convictions  as  strong  as  were  the  con- 
victions of  the  Quakers.  Why  should  they  give  way 
to  these  newcomers?     The  very  purpose   of  this 

25 


26  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

transient  visit  of  members  of  the  despised  sect  was 
to  scatter  their  books  and  pamphlets  —  firebrands  of 
disruption  and  discord  —  and  overturn  the  very 
foundations  on  which  the  Puritan  community  rested. 
The  Puritans  were  determined  that  they  would  not 
allow  themselves  thus  to  be  disturbed;  while  the 
Quakers  were  just  as  determined  to  bear  their 
testimonies. 

The  scenes  which  followed  the  first  arrival  of 
Quakers  in  America  were  indeed  dramatic.  An 
irresistible  force  seemed  to  have  met  an  immovable 
object.  The  two  women  were  at  once  taken  into 
custody  by  the  authorities  of  Boston,  their  books  and 
tracts  were  publicly  burned  in  the  market-place  as 
heretical,  and  being  ^'stripped  stark  naked''  and 
searched  for  marks  of  witchcraft,  they  were  confined 
in  prison  without  light,  writing  materials,  or  the 
privilege  of  speaking  to  anyone  on  the  outside. 
They  were  then  ruthlessly  thrust  out  of  the  colony; 
while  Simon  Kempthorne,  master  of  the  ship  which 
brought  them  thither,  was  strictly  charged  with 
speedily  taking  them  back  whence  he  got  them,  at  his 
own  expense  and  under  heavy  penalty  if  he  refused. ^^ 

Two  days  after  the  departure  of  Mary  Fisher  and 
Ann  Austin  from  the  port  of  Boston,  another  vessel 
came  into  the  harbor  bearing  eight  Quakers  —  four 
men  and  four  women.  These,  likewise,  were  seized 
and  thrown  into  prison,  where  they  remained  for 
about  eleven  weeks.  They,  too,  were  finally  driven 
out  of  the  colony  and  transported  back  to  England, 
whence  they  had  come.    The  first  law,  bearing  date 


QUAKERS  IN  THE  AMERICAN  COLONIES      27 

of  October  14,  1656,  was  then  passed  against  the 
intruders. ^^ 

Entrance  from  the  sea  being  barred,  the  common- 
wealth was  soon  invaded  from  another  quarter.  By 
1658  Rhode  Island,  the  earliest  home  of  religious 
toleration  in  America,  had  been  visited  by  the 
Quakers,  and  there  the  new  ideas  had  spread  rapidly. 
Through  this  ^'back  door''  the  Quakers  again  began 
to  appear  in  Massachusetts  in  defiance  of  the 
stringent  laws  which  that  colony  had  passed.^^ 
Time  after  time  they  were  flogged,  tied  to  the  cart 's 
tail,  threatened,  and  banished  from  the  jurisdiction, 
but  all  to  no  avail.  Finally,  on  October  19, 1658,  this 
beset,  defied,  and  outraged  Puritan  colony  passed 
the  fatal  act,  carrying  with  it  a  death  penalty. 

Laws  thus  framed  and  intent  upon  blood  were 
not  long  in  finding  their  victims.  Mary  Dyer,  a 
Quaker  from  Rhode  Island,  had  been  banished  from 
Massachusetts  as  an  Antinomian;  Marmaduke 
Stephenson  had  also  been  banished  for  making  a 
disturbance  in  Boston;  William  Robinson  had  been 
whipped  and  banished  for  abusing  the  court;  and 
William  Leddra  had  been  several  times  whipped, 
imprisoned,  and  banished.  Their  devotion  to  the 
cause  of  truth  was,  however,  greater  than  their 
regard  for  man,  so  they  fearlessly  returned.  On 
October  22,  1659,  Marmaduke  Stephenson  and 
William  Robinson  paid  the  penalty  on  the  scaffold, 
and  thus  sealed  their  testimony  in  Boston  with  their 
blood.  In  the  spring  of  the  following  year,  Mary 
Dyer  swung  from  the  same  scaffold  in  obedience  to 


28  THE  QUAKERS  OP  IOWA 

what  she  believed  to  be  the  will  of  God,  and  on  March 
14,  1661,  William  Leddra  offered  up  his  life  in  the 
same  way.  All  four  of  these  persons,  we  are  told, 
were  of  unsullied  character.  Constant,  heroic,  fear- 
less, they  faced  death  for  the  sake  of  religious 
toleration.  Upon  hearing  of  these  atrocious  crimes, 
Charles  II  at  once  ordered  his  Puritan  subjects  to 
forbear,  and  the  flow  of  innocent  blood  ceased.  Thus 
Quaker  fortitude  had  met  Puritan  intolerance  in 
Massachusetts,  and,  with  the  tongue  as  its  only 
weapon  of  defense,  the  former  had  prevailed,^^  there 
to  build  up  the  first  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends  in 
America.^^ 

With  the  arrival  of  George  Fox  in  Maryland  in 
1672^^  the  movement  in  America  was  given  a  new 
impetus.  He  and  his  devoted  followers  traveled  in 
all  directions,  bearing  their  message.  Day  after 
day  Fox  plunged  through  pathless  forests  and  over 
dangerous  bogs  from  New  England  to  the  Carolinas, 
planting  here  and  there  in  the  scattered  settlements 
the  germs  of  the  new  faith  which  soon  sprang  up 
into  prosperous  Quaker  communities.  Many  times 
the  missionaries  lay  down  to  rest  beside  their  camp 
fires  in  the  lonely  woods,  and  *^  sometimes  in  the 
Indians'  wigwams  or  houses '',  there  taking  the 
opportunity  of  speaking  the  word  of  life  to  these 
savage  *' kings '\2^  In  New  England,  in  the  middle 
colonies,  and  in  the  sea-board  colonies  of  the  South 
the  work  went  forward,  strongly  tincturing  the  com- 
monwealths of  the  Jerseys,  Maryland,  Virginia,  and 
North  Carolina  with  Quaker  doctrine.^^ 


QUAKERS  IN  THE  AMERICAN  COLONIES     29 

Persecuted  by  the  established  church  in  the 
mother  country,  suppressed  by  the  Puritans  in  New 
England,  and  maltreated  by  the  Roman  Catholics  of 
Maryland  and  the  cavaliers  of  the  more  southern 
colonies,  the  Quakers  longed  for  a  home  which  they 
could  call  their  own.  The  keen  mind  of  George  Fox 
early  perceived  the  advantages  which  the  unin- 
habited woods  of  America  offered  as  a  place  of 
refuge  from  the  storms  of  persecution  which  beat  so 
fiercely  upon  the  *^  Friends  of  Truth  ^\  In  1660 
steps  w^ere  taken  to  secure  by  purchase  a  tract  of 
land  from  the  Susquehanna  Indians,  but  due  to  a  war 
then  raging  among  the  tribes  the  attempt  failed.^* 
It  was  not  long,  however,  until  a  new  avenue  w^as 
opened;  for  when  Lord  Berkeley  offered  for  sale 
one-half  of  New  Jersey  in  1674  it  was  at  once  pur- 
chased by  two  Quakers,  John  Fenwick  and  Edward 
Billinge.  Thus  a  new  opening  was  made  in  America 
for  the  growth  of  Quakerism.^^ 

The  importance  of  this  incident  does  not  lie  so 
much  in  the  purchase  of  the  New  Jersey  land  by  two 
Quakers,  as  in  the  fact  that  the  transaction  brought 
into  play  the  vital  interest  of  William  Penn  —  a  man 
whose  name  became  almost  a  synonym  for  Quaker- 
ism in  America.  Fortunate,  indeed,  was  it  for  the 
Quakers  that  he  allied  himself  with  the  new  faith. 
Rich,  scholarly,  and  powerful,  Penn  threw  his  whole 
influence  and  fortune  into  the  cause. 

From  Admiral  Penn,  his  father,  William  had 
inherited  a  large  estate,  together  with  a  claim  of 
some    16,000    pounds    against    the    British    crown. 


30  THE  QUAKERS  OP  IOWA 


Knowing  that  a  demand  for  cash  payment  would  be 
all  but  useless  he  besought  the  King,  Charles  II,  to 
grant  to  him  in  payment  of  the  debt  extensive  lands 
to  the  north  of  Maryland, ' '  to  be  bounded  on  the  east 
by  the  Delaware  River  ....  to  be  limited  on 
the  west  as  Maryland  was,  and  ....  to  extend 
northward  as  far  as  it  was  jjlantable.''^^  It  should 
here  be  said,  much  to  Penn's  credit,  that  the  ^^holy 
experiment"  which  he  here  proposed  to  make  was 
not  solely  for  the  benefit  of  himself  and  his  religious 
order ;  but  his  colony  was  to  be  a  place  where  all  who 
chose  might  be  ''as  free  and  happy  as  the  nature  of 
their  existence  could  possibly  bear  in  their  civil 
capacity,  and,  in  their  religious  state,  to  restore  them 
to  those  lost  rights  and  privileges  with  Avhicli  God 
and  nature  had  originally  blessed  the  human 
race."^^ 

In  view  of  the  broad  and  liberal  terms  which 
Penn  outlined  for  both  the  settlement  and  the 
government  of  his  colony,  it  is  no  marvel  that  many 
who  were  oppressed  in  other  parts  of  the  world 
should  come  to  this  haven  of  religious  toleration. 
Pennsylvania  rapidly  rose  to  a  commanding  place 
among  the  colonies  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard;  and 
when  the  forces  began  to  shape  themselves  toward 
the  formation  of  an  independent  nation,  the  Com- 
monwealth which  bore  its  founder's  name  was  in 
the  forefront  of  the  struggle.  Moreover,  Pennsyl- 
vania —  so  long  the  bulwark  of  religious  freedom  in 
the  new  world  —  has  always  remained  the  strong- 
hold of  Quakerism  in  America. 


Ill 

WESTWARD  MIGRATION 

A  GLANCE  at  the  history  of  the  Quakers  in  America 
reveals  the  fact  that  in  this  country  they  have  been 
pioneers  —  a  fact  which  is  of  immense  importance 
in  interpreting  their  annals.  Whether  this  is  due  to 
the  mystical  nature  of  their  religion  or  to  the  spirit 
of  the  new  world  —  a  spirit  which  has  always  been 
characterized  by  a  craving  for  greater  and  greater 
expansion  —  is  difficult  to  determine.  Both  influ- 
ences have  no  doubt  been  at  work,  and  as  a  result 
the  one  hundred  thousand  Quakers  in  America  are 
scattered  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  coast,  and 
from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  Canada. 

Before  following  the  westward  movement  of  the 
Friends  it  may  be  well  to  note  the  fact  that  an 
important  change  had  taken  place  within  the  Society 
before  the  opening  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
During  the  early  period,  when  the  Friends  were  face 
to  face  with  persecution  both  in  England  and 
America,  they  displayed  a  most  remarkable  vitality. 
They  produced  powerful  ministers  in  great  numbers, 
who,  fired  with  an  intense  missionary  zeal,  traveled 
far  and  wide  proclaiming  their  message,  and  literally 
tens  of  thousands  were  thus  brought  into  the  Quaker 
fold.    But  within  ten  years  after  the  death  of  George 

31 


82  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

Fox,  which  occurred  on  the  13th  day  of  November, 
1690,  there  was  an  apparent  decline  in  the  vitality  of 
the  Society.  In  America  the  aggressive  spirit  of 
propagandism  seems  largely  to  have  expended  itself 
on  the  eastern  seaboard.  As  the  fires  of  missionary 
zeal  burned  low,  a  new  movement  set  in  —  a  move- 
ment destined  to  mould  and  fashion  more  than  any 
other  force  the  history  of  the  Quakers  on  this 
continent  —  namely,  westward  migration. 

The  first  striking  evidence  of  this  migratory 
tendency  made  its  appearance  in  the  southern 
colonies.  ^*As  the  meetings  in  eastern  Virginia  are 
the  oldest  under  consideration,''  says  one  writer, 
^^so  they  are  the  first  to  decline.  Quakers  seem  to 
have  disappeared  from  Norfolk  County  before  1700. 
They  had  no  doubt  'gone  West.'  "^^  The  same 
stirring  was  to  be  noticed  among  the  North  Carolina 
Friends  as  they  began  to  shift  towards  the  West  and 
South.  Then  came  a  larger  movement  which  has 
been  called  ''The  Replanting  of  Southern  Quaker- 
ism". Large  numbers  of  Quakers  from  Nantucket, 
New  Jersey,  and  Pennsylvania  now  poured  into  the 
Southland,  settling  in  Maryland  and  Virginia,  or 
pressing  on  into  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina, 
and  Georgia.  This  migration,  which  threatened  to 
change  the  very  complexion  of  the  southern  colonies, 
stopped,  it  has  been  said,  "almost  as  suddenly  as  it 
began";  and  the  cause  assigned  was  the  shifting  of 
the  War  of  the  Revolution  to  the  South.^^ 

After  this  first  impetuous  migration  of  the 
Quakers  into  the  South  they  turned  their  faces  west- 


WESTWARD  MIGRATION  33 

ward.  It  is  generally  asserted  that  the  westward 
movement  was  along  the  lines  of  the  parallels  of 
latitude,  but  in  the  case  of  the  Quakers  the  lines  of 
migration  crossed  and  recrossed  each  other,  some  of 
the  emigrants  from  the  northern  colonies  finding- 
homes  in  the  Southland,  while  others  wended  their 
way  from  the  Southland  into  the  Old  Northwest. 

It  was  early  in  May,  1769,  that  Daniel  Boone 
threw  his  long  gun  across  his  shoulder  and  left  ''his 
peaceable  habitation  on  the  Yadkin  river,  in  quest  of 
the  country  of  Kentucky '  \^^  Reared  and  trained  in 
a  Quaker  home,  the  influences  of  the  simple  faith  of 
the  Friends  deeply  marked  this  man  of  the  wilder- 
ness.^^ Typical  pathfinder  and  Indian  fighter  that 
he  Avas,  Boone  blazed  the  path  along  which  a  motley 
mass  of  humanity  was  soon  to  follow  in  the  building 
of  the  great  Commonwealths  of  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee.  As  early  as  1768  the  general  movement 
from  North  Carolina  had  begun;  and  among  those 
who  early  took  part  in  the  new  work  of  State- 
building  were  those  who  could  easily  be  distinguished 
as  Quakers. 

In  1787,  the  very  year  in  which  the  famous 
Ordinance  was  drafted  for  the  government  of  the 
Northwest  Territory,  a  request  came  to  the  New 
Garden  Monthly  Meeting  in  North  Carolina  for  the 
establishment  of  a  Friends  meeting  west  of  the 
mountains  at  Lost  Creek  near  the  Holston  River. 
Although  this  request  came  from  former  members 
of  the  New  Garden  community  the  petition  was 
refused  and  complaint  was  entered  by  the  Monthly 

3 


34  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

Meeting  against  the  petitioners  that  they  '^had 
settled  on  lands  the  title  to  which  was  still  in  dispute 
with  the  Indians."^-  Time  after  time  the  home 
meeting  tried  to  check  the  westward  movement  of  its 
members,  but  all  to  no  avail.  Unable  to  get  the 
recognition  they  desired,  and  imbued  with  the  free 
spirit  of  the  western  wilds,  one  Quaker  settlement 
after  another  organized  its  own  meetings  without 
reference  to  the  parent  community.  By  the  close  of 
the  century  there  had  grown  up  the  monthly  meet- 
ings of  Lost  Creek  and  New  Hope;  and  of  the 
Quaker  families  which  there  helped  to  lay  the 
foundations  of  the  State  of  Tennessee  one  reads 
names  which  now  sound  familiar  in  Iowa  —  names 
such  as  Marshall,  Hodgins,  Maxwell,  Pearce,  Stan- 
field,  Phillips,  Thornburgh,  Macy,  Bernard,  Menden- 
hall,  Beales,  Hayworth,  Reece,  and  Beard.^"^ 

The  next  region  into  which  the  Quakers  migrated 
was  the  Northwest  Territory.  Hard  upon  the  close 
of  the  American  Revolution  the  vast  stretch  of 
country  acquired  by  the  young  nation  to  the  west  of 
the  Allegheny  Mountains  was  turned  over  to  the 
Federal  government  by  the  various  States.  With 
the  rapid  settlement  of  the  region  to  the  south  of  the 
Great  Lakes  intense  pressure  was  brought  to  bear 
upon  Congress  for  the  establishment  of  some  form  of 
local  government,  and  the  result  was  that  monu- 
mental document  of  July  13,  1787:  ^^An  Ordinance 
for  the  Government  of  the  Territory  of  the  United 
States,  north-west  of  the  river  Ohio.  "^^  It  was  with 
the  adoption  of  this  Ordinance  and  the  provision 


WESTWARD  MIGRATION  35 

which  the  final  article  contained,  that  the  interest  of 
southern  Quakers  in  the  region  really  begins. 

The  migration  of  the  Quakers  into  this  new  land 
of  promise  began  even  before  1787.  Stragglers  from 
Virginia  and  western  Pennsylvania  early  moved 
across  the  Ohio  and  began  the  formation  of  the 
Quaker  settlements  in  the  present  counties  of 
Columbiana,  Jefferson,  and  Belmont  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  State  of  Ohio.  Over  the  Kanawha,  the 
Kentucky,  and  the  Magadee-Eichmond  roads  the 
Quakers  came  in  from  the  South  and  all  but  took 
complete  possession  of  the  present  counties  of 
Highland,  Clinton,  and  Warren  in  southwestern 
Ohio,  where  they  built  up  numerous  and  prosperous 
communities  such  as  Center  and  Miami.  Later  they 
entered  into  the  fertile  Whitewater  Valley  in  eastern 
Indiana,  there  laying  the  foundations  of  the  Indiana 
Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends.  To  this  latter  region  it 
is  said  that  no  less  than  six  thousand  Quakers  came 
from  the  four  States  of  Virginia,  North  Carolina, 
South  Carolina,  and  Georgia,  between  the  years  1800 
and  1860.'^"'  It  may  be  asked :  Why  did  the  Quakers 
migrate  from  the  South  in  such  numbers!  The 
answer  to  this  question  has  a  direct  bearing  upon  the 
history  of  the  Quakers  in  Iowa. 

For  many  years  there  had  been  forces  at  work 
within  the  Society  of  Friends  which  had  made  the 
holding  of  slaves  not  only  incompatible  with  member- 
ship in  the  order,  but  had  also  rendered  the 
institution  of  slavery  extremely  repugnant  to  the 
Quaker  mind.^^    As  the  slave  power  seized  with  a 


36  THE  QUAKERS  OP  IOWA 

firmer  grasp  the  economic  control  of  the  South,  the 
Quakers  there,  most  of  whom  were  agriculturists 
with  small  holdings,  were  thrown  into  unbearable 
competition  with  cheap  slave  labor,  and  at  the  same 
time  w^ere  held  in  contempt,  because  of  their  objec- 
tion to  the  holding  of  ^'property  in  man'',  by  those  in 
authority.  Numerous  Quaker  ministers,  among 
them  the  well-known  John  Woolman,  had  traveled 
throughout  the  South,  pointing  out  to  their  brethren 
the  danger  of  their  position.  The  whole  situation 
came  to  a  climax  in  1803  and  in  the  following 
manner. 

Zachariah  Dicks,  a  prominent  minister  in  the 
Society  of  Friends  and  supposed  to  have  the  gift  of 
prophecy,  appeared  at  the  Bush  River  Meeting  in 
South  Carolina  and  began  to  warn  the  Friends  of  a 
terrible  ^ '  internecine  war ' ',  which  was  to  come  upon 
America  because  of  slavery  '^within  the  lives  of 
children  then  living."  He  there  raised  his  voice  in 
prophetic  utterance  and  said:  ^*0h.  Bush  River! 
Bush  River!  how  hath  thy  beauty  faded  away  and 
gloomy  darkness  eclipsed  thy  day !  "^^  He  continued 
southward  with  his  words  of  warning,  going  as  far 
as  Wrightsborough,  Georgia.  Everywhere,  the 
Friends  took  alarm  and  began  their  ''hegira''.  In 
1800  the  Quakers  in  South  Carolina  and  Georgia 
could  have  been  counted  by  the  thousands;  in  1809 
they  were  nearly  all  gone.  They  *^sold  their  lands, 
worth  from  ten  to  twenty  dollars  per  acre,  for  from 
three  to  six  dollars,  and  departed,  never  to  return.'' 
They  poured  into  western  Ohio,  and  on  into  the 


WESTWARD  MIGRATION  37 

Whitewater  Valley  in  Indiana.  They  sought  a  land 
where,  by  the  Ordinance  of  1787,  there  was  to  be 
*^  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude  .  .  .  . 
otherwise  than  in  the  punishment  of  crimes '  \ 

Thus  were  the  two  sides  of  the  Ohio  Valley 
peopled  with  those  who  in  derision  were  early  called 
Quakers,  and  who  were  now  to  struggle  with  the 
social,  economic,  and  political  problems  peculiar  to 
the  two  regions.^^  Moreover,  when  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  these  same  pioneers  once  again  loaded 
their  heavy  wagons  and  moved  off  to  the  westward 
they  came  directly  to  Iowa.  Here  upon  the  soil  of 
the  first  free  State  west  of  the  Mississippi  Eiver  the 
lines  from  the  North  and  the  South  converged;  the 
varied  habits  of  life,  traits  of  character,  manners, 
customs,  and  beliefs  were  to  be  moulded  and  fash- 
ioned together;  and  out  of  the  combination  was  to 
come  that  which  to-day  is  characterized  as  ^^  Western 
Quakerism '\ 


IV 

THE  PLANTING  OF  QUAKERISM  IN  IOWA 

Haedly  had  the  wigwams  of  the  Indians  disap- 
peared^^ from  the  Black  Hawk  Purchase  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  Mississippi  River  before  the  first  Quaker 
appeared.  In  the  summer  of  1835  a  heavy  wagon, 
covered  with  white  canvas  and  laden  with  all  of  the 
necessities  for  a  long  journey,  might  have  been  seen 
wending  its  way  out  from  the  lonely  pine-clad  hills 
of  South  Carolina.  The  ox-goad  held  in  the  hand  of 
the  driver,  Isaac  Pidgeon,  was  pointed  towards  the 
distant  home  of  his  sister  who  had  earlier  married 
and  moved  to  Rushville,  Schuyler  County,  Illinois. 
From  her  he  had  received  many  letters  telling  of  the 
great  inrush  of  settlers  into  the  land  across  the  Mis- 
sissippi, and,  like  many  others  who  had  risked  their 
fortunes  before  him,  he  decided  to  try  life  in  the 
western  wilds.  It  was  with  this  in  view,  therefore, 
that  he  sold  his  small  plantation  for  some  four 
hundred  dollars,  hitched  his  oxen  to  the  wagon,  and 
with  his  family  of  a  wife  and  seven  children  left 
forever  the  scenes  of  slavery  and  embarked  for  the 
West.4« 

Fifty-two  long  days  the  faithful  oxen  trudged 
onward  with  their  heavy  load,  arriving  at  their  first 
destination  in  the  midsummer  of  1835.    Leaving  his 

38 


PLANTING  OF  QUAKERISM  IN  IOWA         39 

wife  and  children  with  his  sister  at  Rushville,  Isaac 
Pidgeon  crossed  the  Mississippi,  pushed  his  way 
about  thirty  miles  into  the  ^'back  country"  of  the 
new  purchase,  and  there  put  up  sufficient  prairie  hay 
for  the  cattle  which  he  intended  to  bring  from  the 
Illinois  side.  This  done  he  returned  to  Rushville, 
and  late  in  the  same  fall  recrossed  the  Mississippi  to 
Iowa  with  his  family  and  all  his  possessions.  Pro- 
ceeding inland  to  the  place  where  he  had  put  up  his 
winter's  supply  of  hay,  he  located  a  claim  on  what 
is  now  Little  Cedar  Creek,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  to 
the  south  of  the  present  town  of  Salem  in  Henry 
County. 

In  1841  the  following  account  appeared  in  John 
B.  NewhalPs  Sketches  of  Iowa: 

About  six  years  ago,  two  plainly  dressed  travellers  might 
have  been  seen  on  horseback,  slowly  wending  their  way 
v\^estward  from  the  Fort  Madison  ferryboat  towards  the 
wide  and  pathless  prairies  of  the  ' '  Black  Hawk  purchase. ' ' 
The  country  was  then  new  and  uninhabited :  they  travelled 
onward  from  grove  to  grove,  and  from  prairie  to  prairie, 
until  the  shades  of  night  were  closing  in  upon  the  long 
summer's  day.     .     .     . 

When  morn  at  length  arrived,  while  one  of  our  travellers 
prepared  the  breakfast,  the  other  perambulated  the  sur- 
rounding country  to  spy  out  the  beauties  of  the  land.  .  .  . 
Having,  at  last,  arrived  at  a  beautiful  elevation  of  the 
prairie,  and  surveyed  on  every  hand  nature  clad  in  her 
most  attractive  attire,  the  bright  sun  chasing  away  the 
vapory  mist  of  the  morning,  causing  the  flowers  to  display 
their  variegated  hues,  and  the  dew-drops  to  glisten  like 
diamonds  on  the  grass,    ....    Aaron  Street  returned  to 


40  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

his  companion,  and  said,  "Now  have  mine  eyes  beheld  a 
country  teeming  with  every  good  thing.  .  .  .  Hither 
will  I  come  with  my  flocks  and  my  herds,  with  my  children 
and  my  children's  children,  and  our  city  shall  be  called 
Salem,  for  thus  was  the  city  of  our  fathers,  even  near  unto 
the  seacoast.  "-^1 

In  view  of  the  accepted  history  of  the  community, 
and  the  records  in  the  possession  of  the  Pidgeon 
family,  it  would  seem  that  Isaac  Pidgeon  was  not  the 
unnamed  companion  of  Aaron  Street  on  the  visit 
above  described,  but  that  he  had  come  alone  and  was 
the  first  to  appear.  From  evidence  extant  it  appears 
that  these  two  men  first  met  while  Aaron  Street  and 
his  daughter  Polly  Pugli  were  casting  about  in  that 
locality  for  a  place  of  settlement  —  though  it  is 
possible  that  this  was  the  expedition  an  account  of 
which  was  subsequently  related  to  Mr.  Newhall. 
Thus  thrown  together  in  this  far  western  country, 
both  of  them  Friends  from  different  sections  of  the 
East,  the  two  men  conceived  the  idea  of  founding  a 
Quaker  community  in  the  Iowa  country ;  and  in  order 
to  carry  their  plan  into  execution,  it  w^as  decided  that 
Polly  Pugh  and  her  four  children  were  to  remain 
with  the  Pidgeon  family  while  Aaron  Street  returned 
to  Indiana  to  bring  hither  his  family  and  effects. 
During  his  friend's  absence,  Isaac  Pidgeon  raised  a 
log  cabin  on  the  banks  of  the  Little  Cedar  Creek  and 
prepared  for  the  approaching  winter;  and  this,  so 
far  as  is  now  knov/n,  was  the  first  Quaker  home  to  be 
founded  on  Iowa  soil.^- 

Upon  the  return  of  Aaron  Street  with  his  family, 


PLANTING  OF  QUAKERISM  IN  IOWA         41 

he  and  Isaac  Pidgeon,  together  with  Peter  Boyer,  a 
Quaker  who  had  recently  arrived,  proceeded  to  carry 
out  their  plan  for  a  Quaker  settlement  by  the  laying 
off  of  a  town-site  on  land  staked  out  as  claims  by 
Aaron  Street  and  Peter  Boyer.  Being  poorly  pre- 
pared for  the  duties  of  a  surveyor  they  used  a  long 
grape-vine  for  a  measuring  rod,  it  is  said,  cutting 
notches  in  it  for  the  desired  widths  of  the  streets 
and  alleys.  The  streets  were  laid  off  at  right  angles 
to  each  other,  and  in  the  center  of  the  town  there  was 
left  a  space  of  about  two  acres  for  a  public  square. 
The  town  was  named  Salem,  the  fourth  by  that  name 
founded  by  the  family  of  Streets.^^ 

The  new-born  town  of  Salem  was  not  long  in 
attracting  other  settlers  to  its  site  and  its  fertile 
and  healthful  environs.  In  the  fall  of  1836  there 
came  a  number  of  Friends  on  horseback  from 
Eandolph  County,  Indiana.  Upon  hearing  of  the 
founding  of  Salem  they  visited  the  locality,  were 
much  pleased  with  it,  and  recrossed  the  prairies  of 
Illinois  with  the  glad  news  to  those  who  anxiously 
awaited  their  return. 

As  soon  as  the  springy  prairie  sod  would  bear  the 
weight  of  their  heavy  wagons,  on  the  10th  day  of 
May,  1837,  a  caravan  of  nine  families  —  all  but  one 
members  of  the  Cherry  Grove  Monthly  Meeting  — 
moved  out  from  the  neighborhood  of  Williamsburg, 
in  the  northern  part  of  Wayne  County,  Indiana, 
bound  for  the  Black  Hawk  Purchase.  In  a  little 
sketch  written  when  his  life's  toils  were  well-nigh 
ended,  Henry  W.  Joy,  a  member  of  the  party,  states 


42  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

that  the  caravan  was  made  up  of  Reuben,  Henry, 
and  Abram  P.  Joy,  Dr.  Gideon,  Stephen  and  Thomas 
Frazier,  Lydia  Frazier,  Thomas  Cook,  Levi  Com- 
mack,  and  their  families.  All  that  can  be  learned 
from  the  account  written  by  the  unsteady  hand  of 
this  aged  pioneer  is  that  they  had  ^'considerable  of 
stock"  to  drive,  that  it  was  ''a  long  and  tedious 
journey",  and  that  they  ''landed  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Salem  the  17th  of  6th"  month,  1837.^^ 

It  would  be  interesting  to  know  the  rest  of  the 
story:  how  the  wagons  creaked  beneath  their  heavy 
loads,  and  how  the  oxen  toiled  across  the  plains ;  how 
the  families  grouped  themselves  about  the  cheerful 
camp-fires  in  the  evening;  how  the  children  were 
lulled  to  sleep  at  night  in  their  tired  mothers '  arms, 
sheltered  only  by  the  white  canopy  of  the  pioneers ' 
wagons;  how  the  sharp  bark  of  the  dogs  made 
answer  to  the  desolate  howl  of  the  wolves  upon  the 
lonely  prairie,  while  the  stars  kept  their  silent  watch ; 
how  the  golden-petaled  helianthus  faced  them  all  the 
way,  how  nature's  guide,  the  compass  plant, 
stretched  its  arms  to  the  north  and  to  the  south ;  and 
how  the  fern-like  rattlesnake-master  warned  them  of 
the  dangers  lurking  in  the  greensward.  These  and  a 
thousand  other  details  w^e  would  like  to  hear,  but 
time  has  removed  every  member  of  that  caravan  who 
might  have  told  the  tale. 

Since  this  first  memorable  arrival  but  four  weeks 
had  passed  until  a  second  caravan  might  have  been 
seen  coming  slowly  over  hill  and  dale  and  approach- 
ing Salem  from  the  eastward.     Who  were  these 


PLANTING  OF  QUAKERISM  IN  IOWA         43 

strangers  1  The  broad  brimmed  bats  of  the  men  and 
the  plain  bonnets  of  tbe  women  were  sufficient 
insignia  to  insure  tbe  travelers  a  bearty  welcome  in 
tbe  new  community,  wbere  tbey  were  received  witb 
open  arms.  It  was  soon  known  tbrougbout  tbe 
village  tbat  Stepben  Hockett,  Stepben  Hockett,  Jr., 
Jobn  Hockett,  and  Harrison  Hoggatt,  all  witb  tbeir 
families  and  all  but  one  members  of  tbe  Society  of 
Friends,  bad  arrived.  Eager  questions  no  doubt 
were  asked  on  every  band,  and  good  cbeer  ran  free 
as  tbese  newcomers  were  cared  for  in  tbe  bumble 
dwellings  at  Salem.  As  soon  as  possible  tbey 
selected  desirable  lands,  and  from  tbe  native  timber 
erected  log  cabins.  Wben  food  ran  sbort,  it  is  said, 
some  one  or  more  would  go  ^^75  or  80  miles  to  111. 
for  provisions"  witbout  a  murmur. 

During  tbe  memorable  fall  of  1837  otber  Quakers 
arrived  at  Salem.  Tbe  Fraziers  and  Joys,  tbe 
Hocketts  and  Hammers,  together  witb  tbe  Beards, 
Hoskinses,  Johnsons,  Osborns,  Thomases,  Teases, 
Canadas,  Lewellings,  Wilsons,  Jessops,  Hiatts, 
Emerys,  Hinsbaws,  Mendenballs,  Cooks,  Pidgeons, 
Stantons,  and  Commons,  all  found  their  way  to  tbe 
new  settlement  beyond  tbe  Mississippi.*^  By  tbe 
middle  of  August,  in  tbe  second  year  of  its  history, 
so  strong  bad  grown  tbe  communal  interest  at  Salem 
and  so  keen  was  the  desire  for  a  place  where  tbe 
settlers  might  regularly  come  together  for  worship 
tbat  tbe  way  was  made  open,  and  in  tbe  hospitable 
home  of  Henry  W.  Joy,  every  week  for  over  a  year 
tbese  sturdy  pioneers  came  together  for  worship. 


44  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

On  account  of  the  continued  influx  of  settlers  it 
soon  became  apparent  that  steps  must  be  taken  not 
only  for  the  establishment  of  a  regularly  recognized 
meeting  but  also  for  the  erection  of  a  meeting-house 
of  adequate  capacity.  A  petition  was  accordingly 
sent  to  the  Vermillion  Monthly  Meeting  in  eastern 
Illinois  for  the  setting  up  of  a  Preparative  Meeting 
at  Salem ;  but  before  the  request  could  be  granted  it 
was  amended  with  an  appeal  for  the  establishment 
of  a  Monthly  Meeting.  The  committeemen  sent  out 
to  investigate  the  petitions  of  this  remote  settlement 
were  well  satisfied  with  what  they  saw  in  the 
*^ Wisconsin  Territory",  and  through  their  report, 
borne  to  the  Western  Quarterly  Meeting  at  Bloom- 
field,  Indiana,  the  request  was  granted. 

In  the  month  of  October,  1838,  Abraham  Holaday, 
Thomas  Ruebottom,  Jeremiah  H.  Siler,  Henry 
Pickard,  and  Achsah  Newlin  appeared  at  Salem  as 
members  of  the  committee  directed  to  set  up  the  new 
meeting,  and  by  their  authority  and  in  their  presence 
the  meeting  was  opened  under  the  following  minute : 
*^  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  first  opened 
and  held  in  Salem,  Henry  County,  Iowa  Territory, 
on  the  8th  day  of  the  10th  Month  1838 '\  Th:r  the 
meeting  proceeded  to  conduct  the  first  regular 
business  of  the  Society  of  Friends  west  of  the 
Mississippi.^^ 

Interestingly  intermingled  are  matters  of  spir- 
itual and  temporal  concern  in  the  records  of  this 
pioneer  Quaker  settlement  beyond  the  Mississippi. 
At  one  moment  the  Monthly  Meeting  would  direct  a 


PLANTING  OF  QUAKERISM  IN  IOWA         45 

committee  to  deal  with  a  member  ^^for  getting  in  a 
passion  and  nseing  unbecomeing  language","*^  and 
then  proceed  to  hear  the  report  of  a  member  who 
had  taken  up  a  collection  of  $17.18%^^  for  the  pur- 
chase of  a  stove  '^by  direction  of  friends  of  this 
neighborhood  ....  before  this  meeting  was 
established''.^^  Although  religion  and  the  business 
of  the  church  were  the  Quaker's  chief  concern,  it  was 
found,  at  least  on  one  occasion,  absolutely  necessary 
to  adjourn  the  Monthly  Meeting  owing  to  the  absence 
of  ''so  many  of  its  members  who  are  in  attendance 
of  the  land  sales  at  Burling  [ton]  ",^^  where  they  had 
gone  to  bid  in  at  public  auction  the  lands  which  they 
had  staked  out  as  claims. 

As  has  been  seen,  one  of  the  most  pressing  needs 
of  the  new  community  was  for  a  proper  place  for 
worship.  On  the  very  day  that  the  Monthly  Meeting 
was  established  a  committee  composed  of  Henderson 
Lewelling,  Aaron  Street,  John  Hockett,  and  Enos 
Mendenhall  was  entrusted  with  this  matter,  and  on 
November  24th  they  were  able  to  report  that  ' '  they 
have  attended  to  the  appointment  and  have  rented  a 
house  [valued  at  $350.00],  at  7  per  cent  of  the  cost  of 
said  house.  "^^  The  renting  of  this  property  was, 
however,  but  a  temporary  arrangement,  for  in  May, 
1839,  a  lot  of  five  acres  was  purchased  for  $25.00,  and 
arrangements  were  made  for  the  erection  of  a 
*' hewed  log  meeting  house  with  two  rooms  22  feet 
square  each,  a  roof  fixed  with  rafters  and  laths  and 
covered  with  three  feet  boards.  The  house  to  be 
finished  off  on  as  cheap  a  plan  as  can  be,  to  be  made 


46  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

tolerably  comfortable"/'^-  It  was  of  the  congre- 
gation in  this  house,  erected  at  a  cost  of  ^' about 
$340.00",  that  John  B.  Newhall  wrote  in  1841  • 

Spending  the  Sabbath,  ''first  day,"  there  last  summer, 

I  attended  meeting  in  company  with  my  venerable  friend 

[Aaron  Street]  ;  there  were  more  than  300  in  attendance, 

and  it  was  estimated  rather  less  than  over  the  usual  number. 

We  had  an  excellent  discourse,  an  "old-fashioned  Quaker 

sermon."     There,  too,  were  the  venerable  and  devout  old 

patriarchs,   ranged  along  the   "high  seats,"   some   whose 

whitened  locks  told  of  threescore  years;   and  there,   too, 

were  the  motherly-looking  matrons,  with  plain  caps  and 

drab  bonnets,  sitting  in  solemn  silence,  and  devoutly  waiting 

upon  Him,  whom  they  profess  to  worship  in  spirit  and  in 
truth.-^s 

When  the  aged  folk  of  this  interesting  community 
assembled  for  their  first  "Old  Settlers  Meeting"  in 
1883,  and  lived  over  the  events  of  almost  fifty  years 
—  years  full  of  both  joys  and  hardships  —  a  few 
facts  seemed  to  stand  out  conspicuously.  William 
K.  Pidgeon  had  the  distinction  of  being  the  oldest 
living  settler,  having  come  to  Salem  with  his  father, 
Isaac,  in  the  fall  of  1835.  Isaac  M.  Hoggatt  was 
greeted  as  the  first  child  born  in  the  village.  Peter 
Boyer,  it  was  remembered,  kept  the  first  hotel. 
Aaron  Street  **was  the  first  to  handle  Uncle  Sam's 
mail".  E.  Spurrier  was  praised  as  being  Salem's 
pioneer  merchant ;  while  Thomas  Frazier  was  rever- 
enced as  the  first  minister  in  their  midst.^*  Thus 
through  the  drowsy  summer  days  and  the  long 
winter  evenings  the  easy-going  people  of  this  quaint 


PLANTING  OF  QUAKERISM  IN  IOWA         47 

old  Quaker  town  recount  the  events  of  the  past, 
seeming  never  to  tire  of  the  story  of  the  early  days ; 
while  the  outer  w^orld  all  but  forgets  that  there  is  a 
Salem  or  that  such  were  the  beginnings  not  only  of 
Iowa  Quakerism,  but  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Iowa 
as  well. 


THE  QUAKERS  IN  THE  BACK  COUNTIES 

In  1836  the  population  of  Iowa  numbered  10,531; 
while  in  1840,  only  four  years  later,  it  had  more  than 
quadrupled  and  stood  at  43,112.^^  For  a  time  the 
eastern  counties,  like  dykes  along  the  Mississippi, 
received  and  held  this  westward-moving  mass  of 
humanity,  but  soon  the  stream  of  immigrants  broke 
all  barriers  and  spread  rapidly  to  the  westward, 
building  villages  and  towns  as  if  by  magic,  and 
changing  the  very  face  of  the  prairies.  Close  upon 
the  heels  of  the  surveyor  —  indeed,  more  often 
running  before  him  —  went  the  squatter;  while 
repeatedly  the  legislature  of  the  new  Territory  of 
Iowa  was  called  upon  for  the  creation  of  new 
counties  and  the  establishment  of  county  boun- 
daries.^^ 

In  this  rapid  work  of  settlement,  the  Quakers 
bore  a  prominent  part.  Somewhat  clannish  in 
nature,  wherever  they  located  they  usually  monop- 
olized the  land  of  the  region.  Owing  to  the  harmony 
which  generally  prevailed  among  the  Friends 
'^ claim  associations^',  so  common  in  the  West,  were 
unnecessary  in  Quaker  communities  and  law-suits 
over  land  disputes  were  almost  unknown.^ "^  On  an 
equal  footing  with  other  settlers  they  attended  the 

48 


QUAKERS  IN  THE  BACK  COUNTIES     49 

government  land  sales,  and  there  bid  in  their  claims 
at  the  customary  $1.25  per  acre. 

Keokuk  and  Fort  Madison  were  the  natural  gate- 
ways to  Iowa  for  those  of  the  Quakers  who  came 
from  the  East  and  the  South  by  the  river  route  (i.  e., 
down  the  Ohio  and  up  the  Mississippi) ;  while  Bur- 
lington was  more  accessible  to  those  who  crossed  the 
prairies  of  Illinois  by  the  overland  route  from 
Indiana.  It  will  be  seen  at  a  glance  that  the  lines 
from  these  three  points  converging  at  Salem  brought 
the  Quakers  directly  into  the  fertile  lands  between 
the  Des  Moines  and  the  Skunk  rivers  —  a  region  of 
great  fertility  which  extended  almost  without  a  break 
to  the  northwest  for  nearly  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
into  the  very  heart  of  the  State.  With  that  keenness 
for  good  agricultural  lands  which  has  always  char- 
acterized the  Quakers,  those  of  the  order  who  came 
here  settled  in  this  promising  country,  building  up 
community  after  community  which  they  christened 
with  such  appropriate  names  as  New  Garden, 
Pleasant  Plain,  and  Richland. 

The  first  of  these  new  Quaker  settlements  to 
spring  into  being  was  that  of  the  Lower  Settlement 
on  Cedar  Creek,  about  four  miles  to  the  northwest 
of  Salem.  In  the  minutes  of  the  Salem  Monthly 
Meeting  for  March  30,  1839,  one  finds  the  first 
mention  of  this  community  in  the  following  state- 
ment: *^  Friends  of  the  lower  settlement  request  the 
privilege  of  holding  an  Indulged  Meeting '^  A 
committee  was  appointed  to  visit  these  ^ ^friends 
making  the  request  Judge  of  the  propriety  of  grant- 


50  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

ing  it,  and  report  to  next  meeting. ' '  In  the  following 
month  the  committee  reported  to  the  Monthly 
Meeting  that  they  had  "attended  to  the  appointment 
to  midling  good  satisfaction  though  way  did  not 
oppen  to  grant  their  request '^  So  close  were  these 
Friends  to  Salem,  and  so  easy  of  access  was  that 
meeting  that  the  request  was  not  granted  until 
January,  1841,  when  a  new  Preparative  Meeting 
was  directed  to  be  set  up  —  a  meeting  which  has 
been  maintained  to  this  day.^^ 

The  second  new  community  of  Friends  in  low^a 
chronicled  in  the  records  of  the  Salem  Monthly 
Meeting  was  that  of  Pleasant  Prairie  (or  Pleasant 
Plain  as  it  was  soon  called),  a  settlement  located 
about  twenty-five  miles  northwest  of  Salem.  At  the 
October  session  of  the  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  a 
committee  composed  of  Gideon  Frazier,  Enoch 
Beard,  Eli  Cook,  Henry  Joy,  and  William  Hockett 
was  directed  to  visit  the  Friends  composing  the  new 
settlement  ^ '  for  their  help  and  incouragement '  %  and 
*4f  way  should  open  mak[e]  choice  of  a  friend  in 
that  settlement  to  be  appointed  to  the  station  of 
overseer''.  In  making  a  report  of  their  visit  to  the 
Monthly  Meeting  in  November  the  committee  stated 
that '  ^  a  part  of  them  attended  to  the  appointment  to 
good  satisfaction",  and  in  consequence  an  Indulged 
Meeting  w^as  directed  to  be  officially  opened  at 
Pleasant  Prairie  on  February  3,  1841.^^ 

While  Cedar  Creek  and  Pleasant  Plain  were  thus 
forming  to  the  north  of  Salem  there  were  at  least 
three  new  Quaker  communities  collecting  to  the  south 


QUAKERS  IN  THE  BACK  COUNTIES     51 

and  east.  The  first  of  these  to  receive  mention  was 
New  Garden,  located  about  midway  between  Fort 
Madison  and  Salem.  For  a  time  New  Garden  re- 
ceived a  remarkable  influx  of  settlers  and  so  grew 
rapidly;  but  before  long  the  tide  moved  on  to  the 
northwest,  leaving  this  once  prosperous  settlement  to 
struggle  against  destructive  forces,  and  finally  to  de- 
cline and  disappear,  only  a  lonely  graveyard  and  des- 
olate grave  stones  remaining  to  keep  watch  over  the 
now  forgotten  dead.  East  Grove,  about  ^ve  miles 
southeast,  and  Chestnut  Hill  about  the  same  distance 
directly  south  of  Salem  were  also  important  settle- 
ments which  flourished  during  the  first  generation 
about  this  early  Quaker  center  in  Iowa ;  but  of  these 
Chestnut  Hill  alone  remains,  a  mere  remnant  of  its 
early  strength. 

It  is  but  natural  that  inquiry  should  be  made  as 
to  the  cause  of  so  marked  a  disappearance  of  the 
Quakers  from  a  land  so  thoroughly  adapted  to  their 
needs.  Therein  lies  a  unique  and  interesting  story. 
When  the  Friends  came  to  Iowa  it  was  primarily 
for  economic  reasons.  At  the  same  time  they  clung 
to  their  anti-slavery  sentiments.  In  coming  west 
they  had  deliberately  chosen  the  free  soil  of  Iowa; 
but  to  their  dismay  they  soon  found  themselves 
anno3^ed  by  slave-catchers  from  the  Missouri  border. 
The  second  factor  entering  into  the  abandonment  of 
the  early  settlements  was  their  close  proximity  to 
the  Mormons.^*^  In  the  face  of  these  undesirable 
conditions  the  Quakers  of  southeastern  Iowa  did  as 
their  ancestors  had  always  done  under  such  circum- 


52  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

stances  —  they  moved  into  the  back  counties.^  ^  And 
so,  out  upon  the  prairies  of  Jefferson  County  the 
second  Quaker  stronghold  in  Iowa  grew  into  being. 
In  this  fair  and  fertile  land  the  onward-moving 
Quakers  once  again  bade  their  oxen  ''Whoa'';  and 
upon  a  prairie  now  called  "Pleasant  Plain"  they 
planted  homes,  and  erected  church  and  school.^^  To 
this  new  settlement  many  Quakers  moved,  peopling 
the  land  with  their  industrious  and  happy  families. 

Rapid,  indeed,  must  have  been  the  growth  of  the 
settlement  which  in  less  than  a  single  year  raised 
Pleasant  Plain  from  the  stage  of  a  Preparative  to 
that  of  a  Monthly  Meeting.  On  the  28th  day  of 
December,  1842,  the  members  of  the  new  community 
assembled,  together  with  a  committee  composed  of 
Zedediah  Bond,  Sarah  Ann  Pickering,  and  Rachel 
Reader,  properly  directed  and  authorized,  to  solemn- 
ly establish  a  meeting  in  accordance  with  the  ancient 
order  of  the  Society.^^  From  the  very  first,  certifi- 
cates of  memberships^  began  to  pour  into  this  new 
Monthly  Meeting  from  all  parts  of  the  East  and 
South.  During  the  nine  years  from  1842  to  1850 
one  hundred  and  fifty  members  came  from  various 
Quaker  centers  in  Ohio,  Indiana,  North  Carolina, 
and  Tennessee. 

Again  the  movement  pressed  onward,  finding  its 
way  into  Keokuk  County,  where  P.  C.  Woodward, 
with  the  Bray,  Williams,  Haworth,  Moorman,  Had- 
ley,  and  other  Quaker  families  quickly  built  up  the 
thriving  communities  of  Richland  and  Rocky  Run.^^ 
Thence    others    migrated    into    Mahaska    County, 


QUAKERS  IN  THE  BACK  COUNTIES     53 

where,  by  February  of  1844,  Joseph  D.  Hoag  of 
Salem  was  to  be  found  at  Spring  Creek,  preaching 
the  Quaker  message  from  the  rough-hewn  doorstep 
of  Thomas  Stafford's  log  cabin,  by  ^'the  light  of  a 
pile  of  burning  logs  ....  the  house  being 
filled  with  women,  and  the  yard  with  men  and 
boys."^^ 

To  the  eastward  of  this  advanced  Quaker  outpost. 
Spring  Creek  —  a  name  soon  to  be  known  through- 
out the  Quaker  world  —  a  new  gateway  into  Iowa 
was  soon  found  by  this  peculiar  sect  at  the  growing 
river  town  of  Muscatine.  To  the  westward,  within 
the  brief  space  of  half  a  decade,  in  the  beautiful 
region  of  the  ^' Three  Rivers"  in  Warren  County, 
members  of  this  same  sect  were  chopping  and  hewing 
the  logs  which  were  to  be  used  in  the  erection  of 
peaceful  Quaker  homes. ^"  And  again,  to  the  north- 
ward, as  the  nineteenth  century  came  half  way  to  its 
close,  the  migration  which  was  so  soon  to  dot  the 
counties  of  Jasper,  Marshall,  Story,  and  Hardin  with 
Quaker  settlements  began  with  the  appearance  in 
that  region  of  a  family  by  the  name  of  Hammer. 

On  account  of  the  continuous  pressing  of  the 
Quakers  across  the  frontier  line  in  Iowa,  and  the 
unparalleled  increase  of  their  numbers  in  this  west- 
ern country,  the  position  of  Salem  had  become 
relatively  more  and  more  important  as  time  went  on. 
On  coming  to  Iowa  the  immigrant  Quakers  usually 
passed  through  and  made  acquaintances  at  Salem, 
and  as  they  occasionally  returned  from  the  interior 
to  the  river  towns  for  supplies  they  again  partook  of 


54  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

the  hospitality  of  its  people.  With  the  rise  of  new 
settlements  in  the  back  counties  and  the  consequent 
increase  of  church  business  to  be  transacted  the  need 
of  a  Quarterly  Meeting  to  supervise  the  whole  new 
field  became  apparent.  With  this  end  in  view  the 
two  Monthly  Meetings  of  Salem  and  Pleasant  Plain 
united  in  a  joint  request  in  1844  to  the  Western 
Quarterly  Meeting  in  Indiana  that  such  a  meeting 
be  established.^^  Due  to  the  remoteness  of  the  field 
and  the  scattered  condition  of  the  communities, 
action  w^as  deferred,  and  it  w^as  not  until  its  gather- 
ing in  October,  1847,  that  the  Indiana  Yearly 
Meeting,  held  at  Whitewater,  authorized  the  grant- 
ing of  the  request.^^ 

In  the  meantime  the  Friends  at  Salem  had  out- 
grown their  little  hewed-log  meeting-house,  so  that 
steps  were  early  taken  for  the  erection  of  a  new 
place  of  worship,  for  which  by  1846  the  sum  of 
$1,149.00  had  been  subscribed.'^^  Here,  from  far  and 
near,  on  May  20,  1848,  a  large  and  enthusiastic 
company  assembled  to  attend  the  opening  of  this  the 
first  Quarterly  Meeting  beyond  the  Mississippi.  As 
was  customary,  an  official  committee  of  both  men  and 
women  Friends  from  the  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting 
was  in  attendance  to  render  such  assistance  as  might 
be  necessary,  and  on  that  day  the  new  meeting  was 
properly  established.  Concerning  this  event  a  mem- 
ber of  the  attending  committee  wrote : 

They  had  built  a  substantial  brick  house  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  Quarterly  Meeting,  which,  when  completed, 
will  perhaps  be,  if  not  the  best,  among  the  best,  belonging 


QUAKERS  IN  THE  BACK  COUNTIES     55 

to  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting.  .  .  .  The  meetings  for 
worship  are  Salem,  Cedar  Creek,  Pleasant  Plain,  Richland, 
New  Garden,  East  Grove,  and  Spring  River.  There  are, 
besides,  two  or  three  other  places  where  Friends  have 
settled,  who  are  taking  measures  to  have  meetings  estab- 
lished. There  was  some  enumeration  two  years  ago,  when 
they  numbered  about  300  families.  There  has  been  a  large 
emigration  to  that  country  since,  and  it  will  probably  be 
safe  now  to  set  them  down  at  four  to  five  hundred  families, 
emigrated  from  almost  all  places  where  there  are  any 
Friends. '''1 

Having  thus  far  briefly  sketched  the  beginnings 
of  Quakerism  in  Iowa,  and  having  traced  the  rising 
Quaker  settlements  in  the  back  counties,  it  is  now 
possible  to  follow  with  interest  the  travels  of  two 
prominent  English  ministers,  Robert  Lindsey  and 
Benjamin  Seebohm,  who  viewed  at  first  hand  and 
with  wondering  eyes  in  1850  the  building  of  a  great 
Commonwealth  and  the  planting  of  one  of  the  fore- 
most Yearly  Meetings  of  their  faith. 


VI 

THE  IOWA  FIELD  IN  1850 

Egbert  Lindsey  and  his  companion,  having  at  vari- 
ous times  visited  together  nearly  every  Quaker 
community  in  America  (including  the  Yearly  Meet- 
ings of  North  Carolina,  Baltimore,  Philadelphia, 
Ohio,  Indiana,  and  the  settlements  in  Canada ),'^^  in 
the  opening  of  the  year  1850  turned  their  faces 
toward  distant  Iowa. 

From  some  unnamed  point  in  the  State  of 
Michigan  (probably  near  Adrian),  these  two  travel- 
ers in  the  ministry  journeyed  across  the  frozen 
prairies  of  Illinois  in  a  two-horse  carriage.  They 
were  on  their  way  to  the  far-famed  Quaker  town  of 
Salem.  On  the  19th  day  of  January,  1850,  Robert 
Lindsey  records  in  his  journal:  ^Sve  reached  the 
Mississippi  River  this  morning  about  11  o'clock 
[opposite  Burlington],  and  on  enquiry  it  appeared 
as  if  it  might  be  safe  to  cross  over  on  the  ice.'' 
Fearing,  however,  that  they  might  break  through, 
the  two  men  crossed  on  foot,  while  a  practiced  ferry- 
man drove  their  team  and  carriage  to  the  Iowa  side. 

After  dining  at  the  ^'busy  and  thriving"  town 
of  Burlington,  they  pressed  on  westward.  As  the 
shades  of  evening  settled  down  upon  the  prairie  the 
weary  and  travel-worn  Friends  approached  the  little 

56 


THE  IOWA  FIELD  IN  1850  57 

Quaker  settlement  of  East  Grove,  which  was  within 
five  miles  of  Salem.     Looking  wistfully  across  the 
undulating  plain  at  each  rise  and  fall  they  could  now 
and  then  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  flickering  candles 
through  cabin  windows  in  the  distance."^^    With  that 
impatience  which  one  feels  as  a  long  journey  comes 
to  its  close  they  urged  their  horses  on.     Thirteen 
long  and  weary  days  they  had  steadily  pushed  west- 
ward, covering  a  distance  of  nearly  four  hundred 
miles.    In  all  this  distance,  says  Lindsey,  ^Sve  had 
not  fallen  in  with  a  single  member  of  our  Society,  or 
any  in  profession  with  us''. 

Then  came  the  joy  of  the  end  as  the  heav}'  car- 
riage pulled  up  to  the  door  of  their  friend  Joseph  D. 
Hoag.'^^  Tired  and  weary,  they  were  pleased  with 
the  hospitable  welcome  which  they  received  under  his 
roof.  Here  they  stayed  for  four  days,  resting  and 
preparing  for  the  onward  journey  —  spending  much 
of  the  time  in  ^'writing,  reading,  walking  out  for 
exercise,  and  in  social  conversation''.  They  made 
but  one  brief  trip  to  Salem  to  attend  the  First-day 
(Sunday)  morning  meeting. 

On  the  morning  of  the  23rd,  the  weather  being 
^^very  pleasant",  the  visitors  together  with  their 
host,  Joseph  D.  Hoag,  as  guide  and  Amos  Hoag  as 
driver,  left  East  Grove  on  their  way  to  the  noAv  and 
rapidly  growing  Quaker  settlement  of  Oakley  in 
Cedar  County,  which  was  located  some  eighty  miles 
to  the  northward.  About  noon  they  reached  Mt. 
Pleasant  where  they  dined.  Leaving  there  soon 
after  dinner  they  ^'entered  upon  a  prairie,  nearly  20 


58  THE  QUAKERS  OP  IOWA 

miles  over  without  a  single  house  or  inhabitant  upon 
it."  About  sunset  they  came  to  an  impassable 
stream,  and  ^'were  under  the  necessity  of  going  back 
to  the  last  house  we  had  passed,  which  was  at  least 
10  miles  distant",  and  which  was  reached  about 
eight  o  'clock  in  the  evening. 

In  the  early  days  it  was  the  unwritten  law  of  the 
plains  that  stranded  strangers  should  at  least  be 
sheltered  for  the  night,  but  here  the  customary  hospi- 
tality of  the  West  failed.  Eefused  at  the  first  house, 
they  were  compelled  to  push  on  to  the  second,  some 
^'2  or  3  miles  further",  where  they  were  again 
refused.  On  a  third  attempt,  however,  they  '^suc- 
ceeded in  getting  a  shelter",  where  Lindsey  and 
Seebohm  ''were  privileged  with  a  bed"  while  their 
two  companions  "had  to  lie  on  the  floor  covered  with 
their  buffalo  robes."  For  this  entertainment  they 
paid  the  sum  of  one  "dollar  &  a  half"  and  departed 
early  in  the  morning  without  breakfast. 

Having  picked  their  toilsome  way  over  the  hills 
and  dales  and  intervening  plains  of  Henry  and 
Washington  counties  and  the  southern  part  of  John- 
son County,  the  group  of  Quaker  travelers  crossed 
the  Iowa  Eiver  on  the  morning  of  the  25th  and 
entered  Iowa  City,  the  capital  of  Iowa.  Passing 
almost  directly  to  the  eastward,  in  the  afternoon  as 
they  were  "within  5  miles  of  the  end"  of  their 
journey  they  suffered  the  misfortune  of  a  broken 
axletree  of  the  carriage  and  "had  to  leave  it  in  the 
midst  of  the  prairie".  Thus  discomfited,  the  two 
English  Quakers  were  given  "Joseph  D.  Hoag's 


THE  IOWA  FIELD  IN  1850  59 

1  horse  buggy'',  while  he  and  Amos  mounted  their 
friends'  horses  and  so  came  on  to  the  home  of  Laurie 
Tatum.  There  they  were  ''cordially  received  & 
kindly  welcomed  into  their  humble  dwelling  by  him  & 
his  wife,  an  agreeable  &  interesting  young  woman, 
who  has  recently  ventured  out  into  this  new  country 
to  share  in  the  toils  of  her  husband  in  providing  a 
home  on  these  western  prairies." 

Two  very  pleasant  and  profitable  days  were  spent 
in  the  Oakley  settlement  visiting  with  the  Friends. 
Of  Sunday  the  27th  Lindsey  records : 

A  fine  bright  winter's  morning.  The  thermometer  at 
10°  above  zero.  At  10  o'clock  attended  the  usual  first  day 
morning  meeting  at  Oakley  held  at  the  house  of  Laurie 
Tatum.  Nearly  all  their  members,  &  some  of  their  neighbors 
were  present,  &  it  was  a  satisfactory  meeting.  At  6  in  the 
evening  we  had  an  appointed  meeting  "^^  in  a  schoolhouse 
3  miles  from  here,  which  was  very  crowded,  &  the  forepart 
of  it  in  consequence  thereof  a  good  deal  unsettled;  but 
thro'  patient  waiting  a  precious  calm  was  mercifully 
vouchsafed,  &  dear  Benjamin  was  strengthened  to  labor 
among  them  in  right  authority,  &  the  meeting  concluded  to 
good  satisfaction. 

Feeling  that  their  work  in  this  community  was 
finished  the  visitors  again  turned  to  the  westward  on 
the  28th.  Driving  to  Iowa  City  they  had  their  car- 
riage repaired,  and  while  waiting,  observed  some- 
thing of  the  town  concerning  which  they  wrote :  ' '  It 
has  a  handsome  State  House,  several  places  of 
worship,  some  good  stores,  &  probably  about  1000 
inhabitants. ' ' 


60  THE  QUAKERS  OP  IOWA 

From  Iowa  City  they  pursued  in  a  general 
direction  the  route  now  taken  by  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  and  Pacific  Railway,  passing  through  Ma- 
rengo, then  *^  containing  8  houses  &  a  log  Court 
House" — "a  poor  place",  they  thought,  for  there 
they  ''could  not  get  even  a  feed  of  corn"  for  their 
horses.  Steadily  they  moved  onward  across  the 
rolling  prairie,  now  through  ''scattered  timber",  and 
now  where  "neither  tree  nor  shrub  [was]  to  be  seen 
as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach" ;  and  at  the  close  of  the 
third  day  out  of  Oakley  they  "reached  the  Ham- 
mer's Settlement  [near  Newton  in  Jasper  County], 
where  5  or  6  families  of  Friends  are  located  who 
removed  up  here  from  East  Tennessee  2  or  3  years 
ago."  "We  took  up  our  quarters",  says  Lindsey, 
"at  the  widow  Hammer's,  whose  husband  was  a 
minister  in  our  Society,  and  deceased  since  they  came 
out  here."  That  night  a  strong  "northwester" 
blew  across  the  plains,  and  the  house  "being  far 
from  tight,  the  wind  had  free  access  through  many 
openings,  both  in  the  walls  &  roof",  so  that  the 
strangers  found  it  difficult  to  keep  warm. 

Having  held  a  religious  meeting  in  the  Hammer 
home  for  the  members  of  the  settlement,  on  the 
following  day,  February  1st,  with  the  thermometer 
registering  "10°  below  zero",  the  four  faithful 
friends  again  took  up  their  journey,  bound  for  the 
settlements  of  "Friends  on  the  Three  Rivers".  By 
way  of  Parker's  JMill  on  the  Des  Moines  River  and 
the  village  of  Dudley  they  reached  their  destination 
on  the  morning  of  the  following  day.     With  that 


THE  IOWA  FIELD  IN  1850  61 

deep  satisfaction  wliicla  comes  to  one  who  has 
achieved  the  object  of  his  hopes,  Lindsey  was  able  to 
write  that  he  had  now  reached  the  ^^most  distant  & 
most  westerly  meeting  of  Friends  on  this  Continent, 
being  more  than  1500  miles  west  from  New  York. 
We  understand  it  is  not  more  than  4  years  since  this 
part  of  the  country  was  occupied  by  tribes  of 
Indians.  .  .  .  [which]  have  now  been  located 
beyond  the  Missouri.  We  may  indeed  be  said  to  be 
almost  arrived  at  the  bound  of  civilized  life".  Here, 
too,  the  wind  blew  cold  and  the  thermometer  re- 
corded ^^20°  below  zero". 

In  spite  of  the  hostility  of  nature,  from  the  Mid- 
dle River  settlement  the  persevering  group  drove 
eight  miles  to  Lower  River,  where  they  held  a 
meeting  in  a  schoolhouse;  and  to  those  accustomed 
to  the  balmy  climate  of  England  it  was  hard  indeed 
to  ^'sit  the  meeting".  That  night,  February  3rd, 
they  lodged  with  Joseph  Carey,  a  late  arrival  from 
Indiana.  In  the  new  log  cabin,  which  consisted  of  a 
single  room,  Lindsey  says,  ^'12  individuals  were 
accommodated;  our  company,  consisting  of  4  men, 
were  privileged  to  occupy  the  2  beds :  &  the  family 
consisting  of  the  friend,  his  wife  &  5  children,  &  a 
young  man  who  was  also  there,  were  arranged  on  the 
floor,  &  on  a  trundle  bedstead  which  was  drawn  out 
from  beneath  one  of  the  other  beds."  Of  such 
accommodations  Lindsey  remarks :  '  Sve  were  more 
warm  &  comfortable  than  we  had  been  for  several 
nights  past :  &  I  may  say  that  under  this  humble  roof 
we  were  treated  with  genuine  hospitality". 


62  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

Having  now  reached  the  western  limit  of  their 
journey  and  finished  their  labors  there,  the  guide, 
Joseph  D.  Iloag,  turned  to  the  homeward  course. 
On  the  5th  of  February  they  passed  through  Pella, 
where  they  observed  marks  of  the  ^  ^  industry  &  man- 
agement'^ of  the  Dutch  in  their  new  American 
home;'^  and,  without  mishap,  they  finally  reached 
the  hospitable  home  of  Thomas  Stafford  at  Spring 
Creek.  Here  on  the  following  day  they  attended  the 
Spring  Creek  Preparative  Meeting,  where,  much  to 
their  'inconvenience",  the  men  and  women  were 
compelled  to  transact  their  business  '4n  the  same 
appartment",  due  to  the  absence  of  the  usual 
partition  between  them. 

From  Spring  Creek  the  little  company  again 
pressed  on  to  Richland,  and  then  to  Pleasant  Plain, 
attending  the  Monthly  Meeting  at  the  latter  place  on 
February  9th.  In  speaking  of  this  meeting  Lindsey 
observes :  ' '  The  business  was  conducted  in  a  solid  & 
weighty  manner,  there  appearing  to  be  amongst 
them  a  number  of  well  concerned  Friends  who  are 
endeavoring  in  faithfulness  &  in  simplicity  to  uphold 
our  religious  testimonies  in  this  far  western  land." 
From  Pleasant  Plain  they  returned  to  Richland  for 
the  Sunday  morning  meeting,  which  was  '' filled  to 
overflowing ' ' ;  and  after  taking  dinner  with  Stephen 
Woodward  they  pushed  on  some  four  miles  for  an 
evening  meeting  at  the  new  Quaker  settlement  of 
Rocky  Run. 

With  that  devotion  which  marked  the  old-time 
Quaker   ministry,   Robert   Lindsey   and   Benjamin 


THE  IOWA  FIELD  IN  1850  63 

Seebohm  had  sacrificed  the  joys  of  home,  traveled 
thousands  of  miles,  and  endured  the  hardships  of 
this  western  country,  as  they  would  have  said,  for  the 
sake  of  'Hruth"  and  the  encouragement  of  their 
brethren.  Once  arrived  at  Salem,  they  were  wel- 
comed to  '^comfortable  quarters"  in  the  home  of 
Peter  Collins,  where  they  found  letters  from  their 
dear  ones  in  the  homeland.  It  is  not  a  matter  for 
surprise,  therefore,  that  Lindsey  recorded  in  his 
journal  for  February  12th  that  they  ''much  enjoyed 
the  quiet  &  convenience  of  a  small  bedroom  with  a 
fire  in  it  which  we  were  privileged  to  occupy  to  our- 
selves: which  we  felt  to  be  quite  a  treat  after  the 
rough  fare  &  scanty  accommodations  we  have  had  for 
the  last  3  weeks.'' 

On  the  second  day  after  their  arrival  at  Salem 
the  Monthly  Meeting  convened.  This,  the  second 
Monthly  Meeting  which  they  had  attended  in  Iowa, 
"was  long  &  interesting,  not  concluding  until  %  past 
4  o  'clock. ' '    Of  this  session  Lindsey  remarks : 

There  was  a  great  variety  of  business  before  the  meeting, 
&  it  was  entered  upon,  &  disposed  of  in  a  weighty  manner. 
Certificates  of  removal  were  read  &  accepted  for  4  indi- 
viduals, amongst  which  was  one  for  Walter  Crew  &  his  wife 
and  14  children  from  Cedar  Creek  in  Virginia,  whence  they 
removed  a  few  months  ago,  having  travelled  the  whole 
distance  of  1500  miles  in  2  waggons,  &  been  upwards  of 
2  months  on  the  road. 

On  the  following  day,  February  14th,  came  the 
East  Grove  Monthly  Meeting  which  was  likewise 
attended  by  the  visitors.     Here  again  they  found 


64  THE  QUAKERS  OP  IOWA 

that  the  men  and  women  were  compelled  to  hold  their 
business  meetings  in  a  meeting-honse  of  a  single 
room  "with  only  a  waggon  cover  hung  up  between 
them  ....  neverth[e]less  it  was  an  interest- 
ing and  satisfactory  time '  \ 

On  the  15th,  16th,  and  17th  of  February  came  the 
sessions  of  the  Salem  Quarterly  Meeting  to  which 
all  of  the  subordinate  meetings  of  Friends  in  Iowa 
reported.  Here  again  the  English  visitors  were 
brought  into  contact  with  a  typical  pioneer  Quaker 
gathering.  For  long  distances  the  Friends  came  in 
their  heavy  wagons,  braving  the  severities  of  winter, 
and  bringing  their  families  to  the  quarterly  religious 
and  social  gathering  which  played  so  large  a  part  in 
the  life  of  the  Quakers  in  the  earlier  days.  The 
business  session  being  over,  at  the  Sunday  meeting 
for  worship  the  crowd  ''was  very  large,  the  house 
being  filled  to  overflowing '\  Though  there  is  no 
specific  record,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  on 
this  occasion,  Benjamin  Seebohm,  the  chief  spokes- 
man of  the  traveling  pair,  preached  from  the  rich 
store  of  his  religious  experience  that  spiritual  ad- 
monition and  testimony  for  which  he  was  so  widely 
known. 

Having  touched  the  settlement  at  East  Grove 
upon  their  arrival  in  Iowa,  there  still  remained 
three  communities  of  Friends  in  the  vicinity  of 
Salem  for  the  travelers  to  visit  before  the  tour  of  the 
meetings  in  Iowa  could  be  said  to  be  complete.  The 
first  of  these,  Cedar  Creek,  to  the  north  of  Salem, 
they  visited  on  the  18th  of  February,  where  they  had 


THE  IOWA  FIELD  IN  1850  65 

^^an  appointed  meeting'^  that  proved  a  ^'relieving 
opportunity".  Here  they  found  that  the  settlers 
had  ^'lately  built  themselves  a  good  frame  meeting 
house  ".  ^ '  Most  of  the  seats ' ',  so  Lindsey  said,  '  ^  are 
nothing  more  than  rough  boards  supported  at  each 
end  by  blocks  of  wood.  Indeed  this  is  the  way  in 
which  all  of  the  meeting  houses  in  this  State  that  we 
have  yet  seen,  are  fitted  up '  \ 

On  the  following  day,  February  19th,  they  visited 
the  Chestnut  Hill  community  where  they  held  an- 
other appointed  meeting  and  found  an  ^interesting 
company  of  Friends,  most  of  them  young  &  middle 
aged".  On  the  20th  they  completed  their  mission 
with  an  appointed  meeting  at  New  Garden.  Here 
the  house  ''which  was  small,  w^as  very  much  crowded, 
some  being  unable  to  get  in  at  all" — a  fitting  close 
to  so  extensive  a  visit. 

At  the  break  of  dawn  on  February  21st,  the  home 
of  Joseph  D.  Hoag  was  all  astir.  Lonely  indeed  had 
been  these  English  Friends  far  out  in  this  western 
country;  but  now  their  thoughts  were  on  the  home- 
ward journey.  Then  came  the  ''solid  parting"  and 
the  long  remembered  "farewell"'"  between  those 
who  through  days  of  toil  and  hardship  had  learned 
to  know  and  love  each  other.  Long,  it  is  said,  were 
moistened  eyes  turned  towards  the  eastward  from 
the  little  cabin  window,  as  the  quaint  old  carriage 
moved  across  the  prairie. 

Lodged  in  the  quiet  of  the  evening  in  a  little 
tavern  some  Rye  miles  to  the  east  of  the  Mississippi, 
Lindsey  turned  to  his  journal  and  wrote :  "Now  that 


66  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

we  have  left  Iowa,  I  may  say  that  we  have  felt  much 
&  deeply  interested  about  the  dear  Friends  who 
are  settled  there,  to  many  of  whom  we  have  felt 
nearly  united  in  bonds  of  Christian  fellowship. ' '  As 
they  turned  to  the  eastward  the  nearest  meeting,  for 
which  they  were  bound,  was  some  three  hundred 
miles  away  on  the  border  of  IllinoisJ^ 

Such  was  the  Iowa  field  at  the  beginning  of  the 
last  half  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Undeveloped 
and  abounding  in  possibilities,  the  great  West  lay 
open  to  such  religious  forces  as  might  come  in  and 
possess  the  land.  Herein  was  a  golden  opportunity 
—  an  opportunity  such  as  seldom  comes  to  any  peo- 
ple of  any  sect.  Here  in  a  new  and  all  but  unfettered 
environment,  touched  and  jostled  on  every  hand  by 
men  and  creeds  from  every  clime,  Quakerism  as  a 
religious  force  was  to  have  a  final  testing  as  to  its 
inherent  power  of  future  growth  and  its  ability  to 
assimilate  that  not  of  its  own  fold.  The  ^'holy  ex- 
perimenf ,  not  in  government,  but  rather  in  prac- 
tical religion,  has  indeed  been  on  trial  in  the  West. 
For  the  Society  of  Friends  nowhere  are  the  lessons 
so  clear  and  the  results  so  definite  as  in  the  history 
of  this  State  where  Quakerism  first  took  root  in  the 
land  beyond  the  Mississippi. 


VII 

A  DECADE  OF  EXPANSION  1850  TO  1860 

Few  movements  better  illustrate  the  restless  energy 
of  American  life  than  the  rapid  settlement  of  the 
vast  region  west  of  the  Mississippi  River.  Under 
the  French  and  Spanish  regimes  this  land  had  lain 
almost  untouched  by  white  men  —  a  land  of  quiet, 
disturbed  only  now  and  then  by  the  passing  war  cry 
of  the  red  men  of  the  plains,  or  the  mighty  stampede 
of  the  bison  herds.  Then  came  the  Anglo-Saxons  — 
restless,  eager,  thrifty  —  looking  here  and  there  for 
homes.  As  if  by  magic  all  was  changed  within  the 
span  of  a  single  century  and  the  great  West  is  now 
the  home  of  over  28,000,000  souls.'^ 

By  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century,  the 
settlement  of  Iowa  was  well  advanced.  By  this  time 
also  the  Quakers  were  rapidly  making  a  place  for 
themselves  in  the  young  Commonwealth.  Until 
about  1850  the  busy  town  of  Salem  had  served  as  the 
chief  point  of  entry  for  the  stream  of  Quakers  which 
poured  into  the  southeastern  part  of  the  State  and 
settled  in  the  fertile  valleys  between  the  Des  Moines 
and  Skunk  rivers.  While  settlements  were  thus 
rising  one  after  another  in  quick  succession,  a  new 
gateway  was  opened  to  the  northeast,  and  at  Bloom- 
ington     (now    Muscatine)     the    ferrymen    became 

67 


68  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

familiar  with  the  Quaker  salutations,  "thee"  and 
'Hhou". 

The  first  Friend  known  to  have  entered  at  this 
new  gateway  was  Brinton  Darlington,'*^'  who  bought 
a  farm  near  Muscatine  in  1843.  Then  came  Laurie 
Tatum,  who  pressed  on  about  thirty  miles  to  the 
northwest  and  settled  in  Cedar  County  in  1844. 
Close  upon  his  coming  followed  J.  H.  Paiater  and 
family  in  1845.  Thus  as  at  Salem,  hardly  had  the 
waving  prairie  grass  been  touched  by  the  first 
Quaker  until  it  was  pressed  by  the  foot  of  the  second. 
The  track  then  made  was  soon  to  become  a  beaten 
path  across  the  prairie,  then  a  well  defined  road,  and 
finally  a  veritable  highway  for  immigrants. 

As  has  been  seen  in  connection  with  the  visit  of 
Robert  Lindsey  and  Benjamin  Seebohm  to  the  Cedar 
County  settlement  (then  known  as  Oakley)  in  the 
winter  of  1850,  the  Friends  in  that  locality  were 
rapidly  building  up  a  prosperous  community.  A 
year  later  in  the  month  of  August,  William  Evans,  a 
Philadelphia  Friend,  on  a  religious  visit  to  the 
meetings  in  low^a,^^  came  into  the  Oakley  settlement, 
of  which  he  wrote  the  following  description : 

The  residences  of  the  settlers  in  this  place,  scattered  over 
prairie  land,  are  chiefly  log  buildings ;  the  settlement  being 
several  miles  in  extent.  In  the  summer  season,  while  the 
grass  is  green,  the  country,  with  the  cabins  and  little  sur- 
rounding improvements  dotted  over  it,  has  a  picturesque 
appearance;  yet  to  a  stranger,  it  gives  a  sensation  of  lone- 
someness.^- 

The  first  collective  religious  meetings  to  be  held 


A  DECADE  OF  EXPANSION  69 

among  this  new  group  of  Friends  began  in  the  '  ^  fore 
part  of  1849",  and  were  held  as  the  occasion  suited 
at  the  homes  of  Laurie  Tatum  or  J.  H.  Painter.  By 
the  year  1852,  however,  the  community  had  increased 
in  numbers  to  such  an  extent  that  it  became  neces- 
sary to  erect  a  building  for  ^'meeting"  purposes; 
and  to  that  end  a  concrete  house  with  a  flat  roof  was 
built.  On  April  9,  1853,  in  this  the  second  house 
erected  in  Cedar  County  for  religious  purposes,^^ 
was  established  the  Eed  Cedar  Monthly  Meeting, 
later  to  be  known  far  and  wide  as  Springdale,  with 
Brinton  Darlington  as  its  clerk.^^ 

The  composite  nature  of  this  new  center  of 
Quakerism  in  Iowa  and  the  rapidity  with  which  it 
grew  are  well  shown  by  the  records  of  the  Monthly 
Meeting  for  the  first  eight  months  of  its  existence. 
At  the  time  of  its  organization  in  April  the  com- 
mittees appointed  show  that  there  were  no  less  than 
thirty-four  men  members  of  the  meeting.  By  the 
close  of  the  year  there  had  been  received  by  the  Red 
Cedar  Monthly  Meeting  sixty-six  certificates  of 
membership,  representing  322  men,  women,  and 
children.  These  certificates  show  that  the  new  ar- 
rivals came  from  Maine,  Vermont,  New  York, 
Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Canada.  For  the 
next  four  or  ^ve  years  the  movement  continued 
strong.  In  the  year  1854  alone  eighty-four  certifi- 
cates of  membership  were  received,  likewise  from 
very  divergent  sources.  The  Red  Cedar  meeting 
was  over-crowded,  and  then  the  immigrants  moved 
on  to  the  northwest,  settling  the  region  to  such  an 


70  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

extent  that  for  many  years  the  fertile  divide  be- 
tween the  Iowa  and  Cedar  rivers  to  the  northwest  of 
Springdale  for  some  miles  was  known  as  ^^  Quaker 
Eidge". 

That  the  population  of  Iowa  should  jump  from 
192,214  in  1850  to  674,913  in  1860,^^  and  that  the 
Friends  should  be  ready  for  the  founding  of  a  Yearly 
Meeting  in  this  State  by  that  time  is  not  surprising 
when  one  reads  as  follows  from  the  pen  of  an  eye 
witness:  ''The  immigration  into  Iowa  the  present 
season  [1854]  is  astonishing  and  unprecedented. 
For  miles  and  miles,  day  after  day,  the  prairies  of 
Illinois  are  lined  with  cattle  and  wagons,  pushing  on 
towards  this  prosperous  State.  At  a  point  beyond 
Peoria,  during  a  single  month,  seventeen  hundred 
and  forty-three  wagons  had  passed,  and  all  for 
lowa.^'^^  What  with  the  advertisement  of  Iowa 
lands  by  great  land  companies,  the  frequent  descrip- 
tions of  the  country  which  appeared  in  both  secular 
and  religious  newspapers,  and  the  multitude  of 
personal  letters  to  friends  in  the  East  from  those 
who  had  already  settled  beyond  the  Mississippi,  the 
fame  of  this  new  State  ^^  was  spread  in  a  manner 
that  kept  the  inflow  of  settlers  steady  and  strong  for 
many  years. 

Moving  on  to  the  north  between  the  Iowa  and 
Cedar  rivers  the  Quakers  invaded  Linn^^  and  Jones 
counties,^^  and  then  pushed  on  to  the  northern 
border  of  the  State  as  far  as  Winneshiek  County. 
From  this  point  on  the  3rd  of  March,  1855,  a  Friend 
wrote : 


A  DECADE  OF  EXPANSION  71 

The  general  face  of  the  county  is  handsomely  rolling  or 
undulating,  and  along  the  streams  approaching  to  what  may 
be  called  broken.  The  prairies  of  this  county  are  generally 
of  moderate  extent,  and  unsurpassed  in  beauty  and  fertility, 
by  any  that  I  have  ever  seen. 

The  first  family  of  Friends  that  located  in  this  county, 
arrived  here  in  the  9th  month  1853.  There  are  now  about 
twenty  families,  and  some  others  have  purchased  land,  and 
are  expecting  to  move  here  this  spring.  .  .  .  Friends 
here  are  situated  in  two  settlements,  about  nine  miles  apart. 
We  get  no  established  meetings,  but  hold  one  for  worship  in 
each  settlement  regularly  twice  a  week.  The  upper  or 
northern  settlement,  is  near  the  northern  line  of  the  county. 
The  meeting  there,  is  held  at  the  house  of  Tristram  Allen, 
an  approved  minister,  from  the  State  of  Michigan.  Our 
meeting  in  this  settlement,  is  held  at  the  house  of  Ansel 
Rogers,  also  an  approved  minister  from  Michigan.^^ 

It  was  from  this  far  northern  settlement  that  a 
letter  came  to  the  Red  Cedar  Monthly  Meeting  on 
February  7,  1855,  requesting  the  establishment  of 
two  Preparative  Meetings,  to  be  named  Winneshiek 
and  Springwater,  and  the  two  to  compose  a  new 
Monthly  Meeting  to  be  called  Winneshiek.  The 
letter  was  urgent  in  its  appeal  and  bore  the  signa- 
tures of  forty-seven  Friends.^^  ^*  After  a  time  of 
deliberation''  on  the  part  of  the  Eed  Cedar  Friends, 
a  committee  of  eight  ^-  was  appointed  to  ^^  consider 
the  subject'',  and  to  ^^ visit  them  if  way  should 
open".  A  short  time  after  their  appointment,  all 
arrangements  having  been  made  for  the  proposed 
visit  to  their  brethren,  six  members  of  the  committee 


72  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

set  off  in  two  carriages.^^  Snow-clad  and  wind- 
swept plains  stretched  away  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  before  them.  Of  the  hardships  of  this  long- 
winter  journey  but  little  is  known.  The  only  report 
which  has  been  preserved  reads  as  follows :  *' A  part 
of  their  number  [the  committee]  had  visited  them  & 
were  united  with  them  in  their  request ''.^^  Thus 
was  Winneshiek  added  to  the  roll  of  Quaker  centers 
of  settlement  and  influence  in  the  West. 

While  the  Quaker  settlements  of  Red  Cedar  and 
AVinneshiek  were  rising  into  prominence,  the  move- 
ment along  the  older  channel  had  continued  strong, 
so  that  community  after  community  had  been  formed 
in  the  heart  of  the  State  with  a  rapidity  which  far 
outstripped  the  earlier  settlements  of  this  sect  either 
in  Ohio  or  in  Indiana.  On  his  second  visit  to  Iowa  in 
1858,^^  Eobert  Lindsey,  who  was  this  time  accom- 
panied by  his  wife,  Sarah,  had  the  unusual  experi- 
ence of  being  present  at  the  opening  of  two  new 
Quarterly  Meetings  within  the  brief  space  of  a  single 
month.  One  of  these  was  the  former  little  settlement 
of  Oakley,  now  Red  Cedar;  and  the  other,  bearing 
the  appropriate  name  of  Western  Plain,  was  at  a 
place  where  not  a  single  Quaker  was  to  be  found  on 
Lindsey 's  former  visit  in  1850. 

Much  had  transpired  in  Iowa  in  eight  years. 
Under  the  hand  of  the  pioneer  the  barren  prairie 
had  been  transformed  into  prosperous  farms ;  where 
before  had  been  cross-road  taverns  and  nameless 
trading  posts  there  were  now  growing  villages  and 
towns;  and  along  with  all  this  transformation  and 


A  DECADE  OF  EXPANSION  73 

growth  the  Quakers  in  Iowa  were  rapidly  coming  to 
the  point  where  their  increased  numbers  demanded 
the  establishment  of  a  Yearly  Meeting  west  of  the 
Mississippi  River. 


VIII 

THE  FORMATION  OF  THE  IOWA  YEARLY 
MEETING  OF  FRIENDS 

The  full  import  of  what  had  actually  come  to  pass  in 
western  Quakerism  during  the  decade  between  1850 
and  1860  can  not  be  fully  appreciated  without  a  view 
of  the  field  as  it  appeared  at  the  end  of  that  period : 
a  survey  of  the  new  meetings  which  had  been  estab- 
lished, and  the  strong  tendencies  towards  more 
effective  organization  in  the  order. 

When  the  year  1850  came  to  its  close  there  were 
thirteen  Quaker  settlements  in  the  State  of  Iowa, 
varying  in  size  from  a  few  persons  to  many  families. 
Ten  years  later,  in  1860,  there  were  no  less  than 
forty-five  such  meetings  of  Friends,  scattered 
through  eighteen  different  counties. '^^  As  these 
settlements  increased  in  numbers  and  in  strength, 
it  was  natural  that  each  should  pass  through  the 
various  stages  of  Quaker  church  organization  for 
the  handling  of  the  community  interests,  namely: 
the  Preparative,  the  Monthly,  the  Quarterly,  and 
the  Yearly  Meetings.  The  Preparative  Meeting^" 
dealt  with  a  single  local  community;  the  Monthly 
Meeting  usually  cared  for  a  more  extended  field  of 
one  or  more  settlements;  the  Quarterly  Meeting 
had  supervision  over  a  number  of  Monthly  Meet- 

74 


FORMATION  OF  IOWA  YEARLY  MEETING     75 

ings  in  a  given  district;  and  finally,  the  Yearly 
Meeting  exercised  final  control  in  religious  matters 
over  all  those  composing  its  membership.^^  It  was 
through  these  various  steps,  therefore,  that  the 
Quakers  passed  as  they  continued  to  plant  their 
homes,  their  churches,  and  their  schools  in  Iowa. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Avith  the  growth  of 
Salem  the  first  Quarterly  Meeting  of  Friends  west  of 
the  Mississippi  Eiver  was  organized  at  that  place  on 
May  20,  1848.  This  meeting  having  become  un- 
wieldy by  the  rapid  rise  of  the  communities  of 
Friends  to  the  west,  Pleasant  Plain  was  set  off  as  a 
new  Quarterly  Meeting  under  that  name  in  1852,^^ 
with  the  more  western  settlements  under  its  care. 
Then  came  the  Friends  of  Cedar  County,  who,  in 
their  newly  built  frame  meeting-house  with  floors  of 
rough  and  unplaned  boards,  were  granted  the  privi- 
leges of  a  Quarterly  Meeting  on  the  8th  day  of  May, 
1858.^^^  The  fourth  group  of  settlements  thus  to 
organize  was  Western  Plain,  now  called  Bangor. 
Starting  with  a  little  settlement  in  Marshall  County 
in  1853,^^^  the  Quakers  settled  in  such  numbers  upon 
the  fertile  lands  along  the  upper  courses  of  the  Iowa 
River  that  within  five  years  they  were  prepared  for 
a  Quarterly  Meeting,  which  was  duly  established 
among  them  on  the  5th  day  of  June,  1858.^^^ 

The  Quakers  in  Iowa,  having  developed  into  four 
strong  and  well  organized  Quarterly  Meetings,  were 
now  ready  for  the  formation  of  a  Yearly  Meeting. 
It  seems  that  the  initial  move  towards  such  an 
organization  was  made  by  the  Red  Cedar  Quarterly 


76  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

Meeting,  the  matter  being  considered  on  the  13th  day 
of  November,  1858.  In  the  records  of  that  meeting 
may  be  found  the  following  statement : 

This  meeting  was  introduced  into  a  deep  exercise  on  the 
very  important  subject  of  the  establishment  of  a  Yearly 
Meeting  in  Iowa.  After  a  time  of  serious  deliberation 
during  which  a  very  general  expression  was  made  the  meet- 
ing believing  the  time  had  come,  for  action  thereon,  and 
being  fully  united,  it  was  concluded  to  appoint  a  joint 
committee  of  men  and  women  friends,  to  meet  and  confer 
with  similar  committees  from  the  other  quarterly  meetings, 
and  take  the  w^hole  subject  in  all  its  bearings  into  serious 
consideration.  The  place  of  meeting  of  these  committees  to 
be  at  Spring  Creek,  meeting  house,  on  the  second  seventh 
day  in  12th  mo.  next  at  10  o'clk  A.  M.i^s 

The  proposed  plan  was  heartily  espoused  by  the 
Friends  of  Pleasant  Plain  and  of  Western  Plain; 
and  when  December  11,  1858,  arrived,  represent- 
atives from  all  four  of  the  Iowa  Quarterly  Meetings 
were  present  at  the  appointed  place.  Having  con- 
vened, the  ^'conference  was  introduced  into  a  lively 
exercise  on  the  important  subject",  and  after  a 
''free  expression  of  sentiment"  it  was  clear  to  all 
that  the  Friends  in  Iowa  were  ready  for  a  Yearly 
Meeting  separate  and  distinct  from  that  of  Indiana. 
Various  locations  were  suggested  for  the  annual 
gatherings,  which,  after  being  "freely  discussed  in 
much  harmony  and  condescension",  the  conference 
united  in  recommending  to  their  home  meetings  that 
the  gatherings  be  held  "in  the  vicinity  of  Oskaloosa, 
in  Mahaska  County" — an  indefinite  recommenda- 
tion which  was  fraught  with  many  difficulties.^^* 


FORMATION  OF  IOWA  YEARLY  MEETING     77 

Having  confederated  their  interests,  the  four 
Iowa  Quarters  now  pressed  their  claims  for  inde- 
pendence upon  the  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting  at  its 
annual  gathering  in  1859 ;  and  at  its  session  held  on 
October  1st,  after  ^'serious  consideration,  and, 
under  a  feeling  sense  of  the  responsibility  and 
importance  of  the  proposed  movement",  the  meeting- 
appointed  a  committee  of  nineteen  Friends  ^'to 
visit  the  Quarterly  meetings  in  Iowa,  with  the  lib- 
erty of  visiting  any  of  their  subordinate  meetings,  if 
they  should  think  it  right  to  do  so,  and  to  report 
.  .  .  .  their  judgment  as  to  the  propriety  of 
granting  the  request  ".^^^ 

During  the  summer  days  of  1860,  twelve  members 
of  this  official  committee  passed  from  community  to 
community  in  Iowa,  observing  and  noting  the  con- 
ditions here  existing.  In  its  report  to  the  Indiana 
Yearly  Meeting  on  October  6th  the  committee  said : 

Our  Friends  in  Iowa  received  us  with  much  kindness, 
and  assisted  us  in  traveling  from  place  to  place,  as  was  laid 
out  to  suit  our  convenience.  We  found  large  and  respect- 
able bodies  of  Friends  at  Red  Cedar,  Bangor,  South  River, 
Pleasant  Plain,  and  Salem  Quarterly  meetings,  and  entered 
into  much  sympathy  with  them  in  their  situation,  and  also 
in  regard  to  their  proposition,  concerning  which  we  found  a 
united  sentiment  at  each  meeting. 

In  recommending  that  the  request  of  the  Iowa 
Friends  be  granted  the  committee  suggested  that 
"the  time  of  opening  the  new  Yearly  Meeting  be 
fixed  not  earlier  than  1863,  nor  later  than  1865 
.     .     .     .     in  order  to  give  ample  time  for  suitable 


78  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

preparation  and  arrangements".  Adopting  the 
recommendations  of  tlieir  committee,  the  Indiana 
Friends  now  authorized  the  opening  of  the  new 
Yearly  Meeting  *'to  be  held  in  the  vicinity  of  Oska- 
loosa,  in  Mahaska  County,  Iowa,  on  Fifth-day 
preceding  the  second  First-day  in  the  Ninth  month, 
1863. ' '  It  was  in  accordance  with  this  direction  that 
the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends  came  into  being 
at  the  Spring  Creek  meeting-house  on  the  10th  day 
of  September,  1863.^^^ 

This  project  for  a  Yearly  Meeting  had  apparently 
moved  along  smoothly,  and  peace  and  concord 
seemed  to  prevail.  But  unexpectedly  an  almost  in- 
superable difficulty  arose.  In  the  early  part  of 
January,  1861,  representatives  from  the  five  Iowa 
Quarterly  Meetings  reconvened  at  Oskaloosa  to  lay 
plans  and  make  arrangements  for  the  opening  of  the 
Yearly  Meeting  two  years  hence.  They  early  agreed 
upon  the  erection  of  a  permanent  building  for  the 
Yearly  Meeting,  at  an  estimated  cost  of  $16,000 ;  but 
when  they  came  to  consider  just  where  this  building 
was  to  be  placed,  grave  and  embarrassing  differences 
of  opinion  appeared.^^''  That  it  was  to  be  ^4n  the 
vicinity  of  Oskaloosa ' '  had  been  made  clear  both  by 
the  former  conference  at  Spring  Creek  in  1858  and 
by  the  direction  of  the  Indiana  Friends  in  1860.  But 
how  to  satisfy  the  demands  of  the  Friends  of  the 
Spring  Creek  settlement  about  two  and  one-half 
miles  to  the  east  of  Oskaloosa,  the  demands  of  the 
Friends  of  the  Center  Grove  settlement  about  two 
miles  to  the  north  of  Oskaloosa,  and  the  demands  of 


FORMATION  OF  IOWA  YEARLY  MEETING     79 

the  Friends  in  the  town  of  Oskaloosa  —  all  contend- 
ing for  the  erection  of  the  proposed  building  in  their 
midst  —  was  a  puzzle. 

Unable  to  come  to  any  mutual  agreement  the 
conference  of  January  adjourned  until  April.  Upon 
reviewing  the  whole  situation,  a  dead-lock  again 
appeared  at  the  adjourned  meeting,  and  the  joint 
committee  was  compelled  to  report  back  to  the  home 
meetings  that  *Sve  cannot  agree  upon  any  loca- 
tion'\^^^  The  Bangor  Quarterly  Meeting  now  pro- 
posed to  submit  the  contention  to  an  impartial  body 
of  Friends  outside  of  lowa,^^^  but  Pleasant  Plain 
refused  to  concur  in  this  suggestion.^^^  Then  Red 
Cedar  appealed  to  the  Indiana  ^^  Meeting  for  Suffer- 
jj^ggMiii  ^Q  interfere,  and  asked  that  the  opening  of 
the  new  Yearly  Meeting  be  indefinitely  postponed.^^^ 
The  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting  was  now  compelled  to 
act ;  and  in  a  statement  made  on  October  2,  1862,  it 
informed  its  Iowa  offspring  with  true  Quaker  firm- 
ness ^'that  it  would  [not]  be  proper  for  it  to  make 
any  change  in  the  conclusion  heretofore  had^'.^^^ 
Thus  left  to  make  the  best  of  the  situation,  the 
western  Quakers  for  the  time  being  laid  aside  their 
differences  and  made  haste  to  prepare  for  the  long 
to  be  remembered  birthday  of  the  first  Yearly  Meet- 
ing beyond  the  Mississippi. 


IX 

THE  FIRST  YEARLY  MEETING  IN  IOWA 

The  place  chosen  for  the  holding  of  the  first  Yearly 
Meeting  of  the  Friends  in  Iowa  was  indeed  a  beauti- 
ful spot.  Situated  in  a  rich  agricultural  region  of 
rolling  hills  and  valleys,  dotted  here  and  there  with 
peaceful  Quaker  homes,  the  Spring  Creek  settlement 
presented  a  pleasing  aspect.  Crowning  a  knoll  which 
overlooked  all  that  region,  the  long,  low,  frame 
structure  of  the  Spring  Creek  meeting-house  nestled 
in  among  the  foliage  of  a  native  grove ;  while  near  by 
stood  a  two-story  school  building. 

Being  pressed  for  time  in  the  making  of  their 
arrangements,  the  joint  committee  of  the  Quarterly 
Meetings  seized  upon  the  offer  of  the  Spring  Creek 
Friends  granting  the  use  of  their  comfortable  quar- 
ters. Then,  in  the  spring  of  1863,  the  committee  let 
a  contract  ^'for  the  erection  of  a  temporary  building 
adjoining  Spring  Creek  meeting-house  at  an  esti- 
mated cost  of  Five  hundred  dollars  ".^^^  A  tempo- 
rary building  it  indeed  must  have  been,  for  in  an 
account  written  in  1909,  Charles  Coffin,  the  only 
surviving  member  of  the  Indiana  delegation,^ ^-^ 
declares  that  a  ^^shed  of  rough  posts  placed  in  the 
ground  covered  and  enclosed  with  unplaned  boards, 
was  erected  adjoining  the  Quarterly  [Spring  Creek] 

80 


FIRST  YEARLY  MEETING  IN  IOWA  81 

Meeting  House.  This  shed  was  66  feet  long  by  50 
feet  wide.  Raised  galleries  were  erected,  and  rough 
benches  set  on  the  ground  sufficient  to  seat  about 
750."  Here  the  men  were  to  assemble;  while  in  the 
adjoining  *^  Meeting  House,  35x60  feet,  to  which  was 
attached  a  shed  15x60",  the  women  were  to  gather.^^^ 
When  the  appointed  day  arrived  everything  was 
in  readiness  for  the  meeting.  The  Spring  Creek 
meeting-house,  once  the  western  outpost  of  Quaker- 
ism, was  the  center  of  attention.  Though  the 
weather  proved  inclement,  the  people  gathered  from 
all  directions,  some  coming  in  heavy  cumbersome 
wagons,  some  in  carriages  or  buggies,  and  some  on 
foot.  From  the  five  Quarterly  Meetings  there  came 
the  appointed  committees,^^^  together  with  large 
numbers  of  the  members  from  the  many  meetings  in 
Iowa.  From  the  Indiana,  Western,  Baltimore,  and 
New  York  Yearly  Meetings  there  were  likewise 
officially  appointed  committees ^^^  ''to  attend  the 
opening  and  organization  of  this  meeting"  and  to 
give  ''comfort  and  encouragement  ....  in 
the  weighty  engagement  of  conducting  the  concerns 
of  a  Yearly  meeting".  In  addition  to  this  enthusi- 
astic company  the  second  annual  "Conference  of 
Teachers  and  Delegates  from  Friends'  First-Day 
Schools  in  the  United  States  "^^^  was  then  being  held 
at  Spring  Creek.  Consequently,  the  "whole  number 
present  was  from  1,200  to  1,300.  .  .  .  Fourteen 
ministers  were  in  attendance  with  minutes  for  re- 
ligious service.  .  .  .  The  Meeting  was  mostly  of 
young  and  middle  aged  Friends  of  great  energy  and 


82  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

force  of  character,  and  much  religious  weight  existed 
amongst  them.'^^-'^ 

How  to  accommodate  and  shelter  so  large  a  num- 
ber of  people  in  the  open  country  was  a  problem. 
At  the  Spring  Creek  Boarding  School  some  fifty  or 
sixty  of  the  visitors  from  other  Yearly  Meetings 
were  entertained;  while  many  of  the  Iowa  Friends 
came  in  covered  wagons,  bringing  their  bedding  and 
their  food  with  them.  Dr.  J.  W.  Morgan,  at  that 
time  one  of  the  teachers  in  the  Boarding  School, 
writes  : 

These  structures  [the  meeting-house  and  the  school 
building]  were  in  the  edge  of  about  40  acres  of  fine  timber ; 
and  much  of  this  grove  was  filled,  during  Yearly  Meeting 
time,  with  tents  for  sleeping,  cooking,  eating,  and  stalls  for 
horses,  as  nearly  all  came  with  horses  and  covered  wagons, 
with  a  feiv  carriages ;  for  the  nearest  Rail  Road  was  about 
25  miles  away.  Yet  the  great  crowds  of  people  were  re- 
markable, and  the  great  interest  and  earnest  devotion  shown 
by  all,  indicated  an  abiding  faith  in  Quakerism. ^^^ 

To  further  care  for  the  visitors  two  regular  bus 
lines  with  four-horse  teams  were  operated  between 
the  then  thriving  little  village  of  Oskaloosa  and 
Spring  Creek,  carrying  the  passengers  the  round 
trip  of  five  miles  for  one  dollar  each. 

The  vitality  and  vigor  of  western  Quakerism  was 
well  attested  by  the  amount  and  character  of  the 
work  which  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends 
accomplished  at  its  first  gathering.  In  the  early  part 
of  its  session  the  new  Yearly  Meeting  adopted  as  its 
form  of  church  government  the  ''Book  of  Discipline 


FIRST  YEARLY  MEETING  IN  IOWA  83 

of  Indiana  Yearly  meeting,  as  revised  and  approved 
by  that  meeting  in  1854,  with  the  alterations  and 
additions  since  made'^,  five  hundred  copies  having 
been  furnished  by  the  Indiana  Meeting  for  Suffer- 
ings for  distribution  in  lowa.^^^  The  problem  of  the 
new  meeting-house  was  then  taken  up,  and  with 
equal  dispatch  the  plans  of  the  committee  were 
approved  and  the  erection  of  a  building  to  cost 
$16,000  was  directed.  Furthermore,  the  long  and 
troublesome  dispute  over  the  building  site  was 
finally  settled.^^^ 

With  due  consideration  the  various  fields  of  labor 
were  reviewed,  and  large  and  representative  com- 
mittees were  selected  to  have  charge  of  First-Day 
Scripture  Schools,  the  work  among  the  ^'people  of 
color '^,  education,  and  the  proper  distribution  of 
books  and  tracts.  A  survey  of  the  conditions  then 
existing  in  the  Iowa  field  was  also  entered  upon  and 
this  proved  of  special  interest  to  those  who  were 
visiting  the  West  for  the  first  time.  From  the  two 
Quarterly  Meetings  of  Pleasant  Plain  and  Red  Cedar 
there  came  requests  for  the  establishment  of  two  new 
Quarters,  namely :  Spring  Creek  Quarter,  embracing 
numerous  growing  settlements  in  Mahaska  and 
Jasper  counties;  and  Winneshiek  Quarter,  now  ex- 
tending as  far  as  Minneapolis  in  Minnesota  and 
Baraboo  in  Wisconsin.^^*  Internally  the  Society  in 
Iowa  was  shown  to  be  in  a  most  prosperous  con- 
dition. Harmony  and  enthusiasm  prevailed  through- 
out the  order;  and  ^* those  present  from  other  Yearly 
Meetings  were  impressed  with  the  belief  that  the 


84  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

establishment  of  the  Yearly  Meeting  will  prove  to  be 

a  blessing  to  our  Religious  Society.  "^^-^ 

Then  came  the  close  of  the  gathering,  and  in  the 

intense  spiritual  feeling  that  prevailed  the  Presiding 

Clerk  was  moved  to  record:  "we  feel    ....    our 

humble  but  fervent  sense  of  gratitude  to  the  God  and 

Father  of  all  our  sure  mercies,  who  from  day  to  day 

has  deigned  to  own  and  cover  us  in  our  several 
sittings  ^\i2G 


A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS 

OvEK  fifty  years  have  passed  since  the  first  Yearly 
Meeting  of  Friends  in  Iowa  was  held,  and  there  are 
now  few  survivors  among  all  those  w^ho  attended 
that  gathering.^- ^  Almost  within  the  life  of  a  single 
generation  there  have  been  reproduced  in  Iowa  the 
salient  features  of  two  hundred  years  of  Quaker 
history  on  the  American  continent.  Religious  up- 
heaval, sufferings  from  war,  the  issue  of  slavery, 
contact  w^ith  the  Indians,  and  the  problems  of  educa- 
tion, schisms,  migration,  and  decline  —  all  of  these 
form  a  part  of  the  annals  of  Iowa  Quakerism. 

The  future  appeared  hopeful  as  the  Iowa  Yearly 
Meeting  of  Friends  began  its  labors  under  the  direc- 
tion of  a  group  of  the  strongest  men  that  this  Yearly 
Meeting  has  produced,  and  with  a  membership 
made  up  of  sturdy,  restless  emigrants  from  the  East 
and  South.  But  there  came  a  time  when  the  in- 
coming migration  from  the  East  ceased  to  exceed  or 
even  to  equal  the  continued  movement  of  the  Quakers 
to  the  farther  West,  and  the  effect  on  the  Iowa 
Yearly  Meeting  was  disheartening.  Stretching  from 
the  Mississippi  to  California  there  are  long  chains 
of  isolated  and  disconnected  communities  of  Friends, 
the  founders  of  which  may  be  traced  back  to  the  now 

85 


86  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

depleted  Iowa  centers.  In  Iowa  numerous  Quaker 
communities,  once  strong  and  flourishing,  have  en- 
tirely disappeared;  and  in  fact,  it  may  be  said  that 
with  but  few  exceptions  the  communities  of  Friends 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  coast  are  engaged  in 
a  struggle  for  existence. 

The  effect  of  this  draining  force  on  Iowa  Quaker- 
ism during  the  last  half-century  is  well  illustrated  in 
the  case  of  the  Spring  Creek  settlement,  the  birth- 
place of  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends. 
Thomas  Stafford  was  the  first  of  the  Quakers  to 
settle  in  this  fertile  region,  and  close  upon  his  heels 
came  numerous  other  Friends,  who  quickly  built  up 
one  of  the  strongest  Quaker  centers  in  the  State. 
Then  after  a  number  of  years  of  prosperity  came  a 
turn  of  events. 

As  early  as  1847,  in  his  reconnoitering  expedi- 
tions in  the  Des  Moines  valley,  D.  D.  Owen  had 
discovered  the  fact  that  Mahaska  County  was  under- 
laid with  large  quantities  of  excellent  coal.^^^  This 
knowledge  was  put  to  little  use,  however,  until  about 
1875  or  1876  when  ^Hhe  Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  St. 
Paul  Eailroad  Co.  opened  up  a  mine  .... 
about  three  miles  south  of  Oskaloosa",  under  the 
name  of  the  Excelsior  Coal  Company,  which  soon 
developed  its  output  to  1500  or  1600  tons  per  day.^^^ 
Mahaska  County  became  the  largest  coal  producing 
county  in  Iowa,  and  with  the  constantly  rising  prices 
of  land  in  their  neighborhood  many  of  the  Friends 
became  restless,  sold  their  lands,  and  moved  away. 
The   climax   came   in   1890.      The    Excelsior    Coal 


A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS  87 

Company,  wliicli  had  exhausted  its  earlier  mines, 
moved  its  plant  to  the  very  heart  of  the  Quaker  com- 
munity and  opened  the  Carbonado  mines.  Soon  the 
erection  of  shacks  was  begun  and  a  turbulent  mining 
element  came  to  Carbonado.  The  few  remaining 
Friends  could  endure  no  longer  the  worldliness  and 
profanity  encountered  on  every  side,  and  as  soon  as 
possible  they  departed.  Five  years  passed  by;  the 
church  property  was  sold;  the  meeting-house  was 
moved  away;  and  to-day  the  crumbling  ruins  of  an 
abandoned  railway,  great  heaps  of  waste  slate,  fields 
made  dangerous  by  unsightly  sink-holes,  and  a  few 
dilapidated  miners'  shacks  have  taken  the  place  of 
this  once  thriving  Quaker  community.  An  early 
resident  of  the  Spring  Creek  neighborhood  has  said : 

At  this  writing  (1912)  not  a  stone  or  fragment  of  either 
building  of  the  school  house  or  old  meeting  house  can  be 
found  or  identified.  The  little  old  grave  yard,  with  many 
of  the  lost  or  unmarked  graves,  remains  as  a  reminiscence 
of  a  once  quaker  settlement.  The  nice  grove  has  all  dis- 
appeared, and  even  the  very  ground  where  the  two  or  three 
buildings  stood  is  cultivated  in  growing  crops. i^<^ 

Within  the  State  of  Iowa  there  are  many  such 
localities  where  only  desolate  burying  grounds,  with 
their  half-covered  gravestones,  now  mark  the  sites 
of  once  thriving  Quaker  meetings ;  and  there  are  also 
in  Iowa  many  other  communities  of  Friends  which 
are  now  on  the  verge  of  extinction. 

A  brief  survey  of  the  field  of  Iowa  Quakerism  as 
it  exists  to-day  reveals  a  few  striking  facts.  First  of 
all  it  may  safely  be  said  that  after  a  period  of  three- 


88  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

quarters  of  a  century  there  are  not  now  in  Iowa  more 
than  ten  thousand  Friends,  including  the  members 
of  all  branches  of  the  Society.  There  are  in  Iowa 
the  Hicksites,  the  Wilburites,  the  Conservative,  and 
the  Orthodox  Friends,  each  almost  as  separate  and 
distinct  in  their  outward  affiliations  (except  the 
Wilbur  and  Conservative  Friends)  as  are  the 
Protestants  and  the  Roman  Catholics.  Indeed,  the 
members  of  these  various  branches  have  very  curious 
ideas  concerning  each  other 's  beliefs  and  manners  of 
life.  Again,  it  may  be  said  that  in  this  western  field 
there  has  been  in  progress  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing experiments  in  Quakerism  in  the  history  of  the 
Society. 

A  superficial  glance  at  the  Orthodox  body  of 
Friends  in  Iowa  to-day  would  convey  the  impression 
that  it  has  had  a  remarkable  period  of  growth;  for 
when  the  Yearly  Meeting  first  convened  in  1863 
there  were  but  ^ve  constituent  Quarterly  Meetings, 
while  there  were  in  1912  some  sixteen  such  meetings. 
But  a  more  careful  examination  of  the  facts  reveals 
a  situation  which  is  alarming  to  the  members  of  the 
Society.  In  the  first  report  on  the  membership  of 
the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting,  made  in  1866,  there  were 
on  record  1284  families,  and  502  parts  of  families, 
with  3855  males  and  3797  females,  or  a  total  of  7652 
members ;  while  at  the  same  time  there  were  reported 
1938  Quaker  children  from  ^ve  to  twenty-one  years 
of  age.^^^  In  1912  the  records  of  the  Yearly  Meeting 
show  a  total  membership  of  but  8383  persons,  2176 
of  whom  are  non-resident  and  largely  non-support- 


A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS  89 

ing  members,  while  1130  are  associate  members, 
most  of  whom  are  under  ten  years  of  age.^^-  This 
leaves  but  5077  as  the  active,  adult  membership  of 
the  Yearly  Meeting  in  1912  and,  as  is  always  true  in 
religious  orders,  the  interest  of  many  of  these  is 
merely  nominal. 

One  other  fact  must  be  borne  in  mind  in  this  con- 
nection. In  the  early  period  the  constituent  member- 
ship of  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends  was 
confined  to  a  much  smaller  area  than  it  is  to-day  and 
was  strongly  distinctive  in  character ;  while  of  recent 
years,  with  weakened  and  more  numerous  centers, 
its  members  have  come  more  intimately  into  contact 
with  the  outside  world,  and  have  all  but  lost  what 
might  be  termed  distinctive  Quakerism. 

The  reasons  for  this  retrogression  are  not  hard 
to  find.  One  of  the  heaviest  contributing  causes  is, 
without  question,  the  marked  decrease  in  the  birth- 
rate among  the  Friends  in  this  State,^^^  together 
with  the  struggle  which  the  Society  has  had  to  hold 
its  young  people.  A  second  reason  for  the  depleted 
membership  of  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  is  the 
tendency  on  the  part  of  those  who  have  in  later 
years  migrated  to  the  westward  from  the  Quaker 
centers  in  Iowa  to  either  enter  the  fold  of  other 
religious  denominations  or  to  drop  their  membership 
entirely.  Thus  their  names  no  longer  appear  on  the 
rolls  of  the  parent  Society. 

A  third  powerful  factor  contributing  largely  in 
producing  the  present  condition  has  been  the  move- 
ment of  the  rural  population  to  the  towns.     The 


90  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

Friends  have  always  been  a  rural  people  in  the 
West,  and  their  churches  country  churches.  In  this 
shifting,  therefore,  large  numbers  of  Friends  who 
have  gone  to  the  towns  and  cities  have  been  absorbed 
by  those  denominations  to  which  they  felt  most  in- 
clined.^^^  The  extent  to  which  this  factor  has 
operated  is  now  beginning  to  be  appreciated.  It  is 
perhaps  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  to  a  large  degree 
the  backbone  of  many  of  the  evangelical  churches  in 
the  AVest  is  made  up  of  people  who  are  Quaker  either 
in  ancestry  or  in  training  or  both;  and  herein  lies 
one  of  the  greatest  contributions  of  this  sect  to 
modern  religious  thought.  At  a  recent  ministerial 
meeting  in  one  of  the  cities  of  Iowa  a  prominent 
Methodist  pastor  said:  ^'Gentlemen,  there  is  no 
longer  any  real  need  for  the  Friends'  Church  —  we 
are  all  Quakers  at  hearf 

A  deeper  investigation  into  the  present  condition 
of  the  Society  of  Friends  in  Iowa  and  the  West  re- 
veals what  is  believed  to  be  the  true  source  of  all  its 
troubles,  namely,  its  inability  to  early  adapt  itself  to 
new  and  changed  environment.  As  has  been  seen, 
the  Friends  who  first  came  to  Iowa  came  from  both 
the  East  and  the  South,  and  they  brought  with  them 
all  of  the  inherited  conservatism  of  the  past.  Thus, 
w^hen  thrown  into  contact  with  the  broad  spirit  of  the 
West,  Quakerism  received  a  great  shock.  In  the 
mould  of  this  new  environment  racial  differences, 
political  ideas,  religious  creeds,  and  institutions  of 
every  kind  were  recast,  and  out  of  the  process  there 
came  forth  that  broad  liberalism  which  character- 


A  RETROSPECT  OF  FIFTY  YEARS  91 

izes  the  West.  When  the  pressure  of  such  surround- 
ings began  to  be  felt  by  the  Society  of  Friends  and 
some  of  its  members  were  caught  in  the  current 
instead  of  attempting  to  adjust  themselves  to  their 
new  environment  the  leaders  undertook  to  purge  the 
Society  by  frequent  disownments.  In  one  Monthly 
Meeting  alone  there  were  no  less  than  one  hundred 
and  thirty-seven  of  such  disownments  between  the 
years  1842-1875.  This  is  but  an  illustration  of  the 
destructive  work  wrought  by  this  short-sighted 
policy  among  the  Friends  in  Iowa. 

Combining,  therefore,  the  influences  of  the  de- 
creasing birth-rate,  the  westward  migrations,  the 
heavy  flow  into  towns  and  cities  where  there  are  no 
Friends  meetings,  the  absorption  into  other  more 
progressive  denominations,  and  the  wide-spread  dis- 
ownment  of  members,  with  the  internal  dissensions 
which  arose  in  1877  and  split  the  Society  into  two 
irreconcilable  factions,  the  real  causes  for  the 
present  dormant  condition  of  the  Society  of  Friends 
in  Iowa  are  apparent. 

To  gain  a  true  perspective  of  what  the  past  half- 
century  has  meant  to  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of 
Friends,  that  organization  must  be  viewed  through 
the  medium  of  its  western  appendages.  As  was 
previously  stated,  the  membership  of  the  Yearly 
Meeting  in  1863  was  about  seven  thousand,  chiefly 
located  about  strong  centers  within  the  State  of 
Iowa.  By  the  end  of  the  succeeding  quarter-century, 
however,  this  number  had  increased  to  10,234,^^^  and 
was  scattered  over  the  vast  expanse  of  the  entire 


92  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

West,  far  out  to  the  Pacific  coast.  Then  began  the 
lopping-off  process.  In  1893  the  two  Quarterly 
Meetings  of  Newberg  and  Salem  in  the  State  of 
Oregon  were  set  off  as  an  independent  Yearly  Meet- 
ing with  a  membership  of  955  persons.^^^  In  1895 
the  California  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  with  a 
membership  of  1166  and  two  Quarterly  Meetings, 
was  likewise  set  off.^^^  In  1908  the  field  was  again 
curtailed  by  the  establishment  of  the  Nebraska 
Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends  composed  of  Denver, 
Hiawatha,  Mt.  Vernon,  Platte  Valley,  Spring  Bank, 
and  Union  Quarterly  Meetings,  and  with  a  member- 
ship of  1679  persons. ^^^  Not  that  the  Society  in  Iowa 
has  dwindled  in  numbers  under  these  circumstances 
but  that  it  has  been  able  to  maintain  and,  in  fact, 
increase  its  activities  is  the  marvel. 

The  history  of  Iowa  Quakerism  during  the  last 
fifty  years  is  indeed  checkered.  Among  the  older 
members  to-day  there  is  a  wide-spread  uncertainty 
as  to  what  the  future  holds  in  store.  The  decay  of 
so  many  of  the  early  Quaker  centers  in  this  State; 
the  present  scattered  condition  of  the  constituent 
meetings;  the  lack  of  sympathy  and  coherence 
among  the  various  sects  of  the  Society  in  Iowa ;  and 
the  general  breaking  down  not  only  of  denomina- 
tional but  even  of  church  ties  in  general  —  all  of 
these  facts  are  disquieting  to  the  Quaker  mind. 
Nevertheless,  for  more  than  a  generation  there  have 
been  forces  at  work  within  the  Society  of  Friends  in 
Iowa  tending  towards  the  modernization  of  its 
ancient  teachings  and  the  construction  of  a  religious 
organization  adapted  to  the  spirit  of  the  times. 


PAET  II 
IOWA  QUAKER  OETHODOXY 


93 


THE  EISE  OF  EVANGELISM  IN  IOWA 

In  Iowa  to-day  few  are  the  places  where  one  can  sit 
down  in  an  old-fashioned  Quaker  meeting.  So  great 
have  been  the  changes  among  the  Orthodox  Friends 
that  in  manner  of  worship  —  not  to  say  in  worship 
itself  —  little  real  difference  longer  exists  between 
them  and  the  other  evangelical  denominations,  aside 
from  the  religious  rites  which  the  latter  in  some 
cases  observe.  The  stranger  finds  little  that  is  dis- 
tinctive or  peculiar,  and  nothing  to  embarrass  him  in 
the  modern  Friends  meetings.  So  completely  have 
the  ancient  Quaker  characteristics  been  obliterated, 
that  those  few  members  of  the  ancient  or  conserva- 
tive body  who  still  live  in  Iowa  insist  that  their 
Orthodox  brethren  should  no  longer  call  themselves 
*^ Friends'^,  but  that  they  should  adopt  some  name 
more  consistent  with  their  modernized  tendencies. 
It  is  of  interest  therefore  to  trace  the  conditions 
which  have  produced  this  new  form  of  Quakerism. 
The  changes  in  western  Quakerism  are  due  to 
forces  which  have  been  brought  to  bear  upon  it  both 
from  within  and  from  without.  The  introduction  of 
the  Sunday  or  ^'First-Day  Scripture  Schools '^  the 
common  patronage  of  the  public  schools,  the  adop- 
tion of  evangelical  methods  of  church  activity,  and 

95 


96  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

the  transition  from  the  isolation  of  rural  communi- 
ties to  modern  social  conditions  and  town  life,  have 
been  powerful  factors  in  the  breaking  down  of  that 
conservatism  which  in  the  early  days  hedged  the 
Friends  about  on  every  side.  It  would  be  incorrect 
to  single  out  any  one  of  these  forces  as  being  the 
important  factor  in  producing  present-day  condi- 
tions, for  all  of  them  have  acted  and  interacted  one 
upon  the  other.  The  one  factor,  however,  which 
stands  out  most  prominently  and  which  best  lends 
itself  to  investigation  is  the  rise  and  development  of 
evangelism.  The  presence  of  so  large  a  number  of 
young  people  in  the  Orthodox  body  to-day  is  the 
result  of  this  force.  Evangelism  was  the  one  solu- 
tion to  the  great  problem  of  filling  up  the  yawning 
gaps  in  the  membership  of  the  Society  due  to  the 
westward  migrations,  and  in  it  may  be  found  the 
origin  of  those  forces  which  to-day  dominate  and 
control  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Orthodox 
Friends. 

To  imagine  that  the  rise  of  the  spirit  of  modern 
Quakerism  as  expressed  in  its  evangelistic  tenden- 
cies was  spontaneous  and  the  product  of  a  single 
event  at  some  given  place  would  be  a  grave  mistake. 
As  is  the  case  with  all  great  movements,  its  origin 
is  to  be  found  in  deep-seated  and  wide-spread 
causes. 

For  many  years  there  had  been  a  growing  apathy 
on  the  part  of  the  Friends  toward  a  careful  and 
regular  study  of  the  scriptures.  The  belief  had  be- 
come prevalent  that  people  would  involuntarily  be 


RISE  OP  EVANGELISM  IN  IOWA  97 

led  into  such  religious  exercises  as  were  in  accord 
with  the  promptings  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  that  to 
have  a  set  time  for  such  acts  of  devotion  was  strongly 
tinctured  with  an  unwholesome  formalism,  always 
extremely  obnoxious  to  the  Friends.  The  first  step 
in  the  modification  of  this  belief,  as  it  prevailed  in 
Iowa,  was  the  appointment  of  a  committee  by  the 
Salem  Monthly  Meeting  in  January,  1841,  to  visit 
each  family  of  the  membership  and  find  out  how 
many  were  ^'destitute  of  the  scriptures ''.^-^^  The 
nine  families  not  possessing  a  copy  of  the  Bible  were 
early  supplied,  and  then  committees  were  appointed 
to  continue  the  visitations  in  order  that  "parents 
and  heads  of  families  may  be  encouraged  to  the 
daily  practice  of  calling  their  families  together,  and 
after  a  solemn  pause,  let  a  portion  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures  be  read.''^^*^ 

This  breach  having  been  made  in  the  old  order  of 
things,  the  next  step  was  the  setting  apart  of  a 
special  time  and  place  for  a  group  study  of  the 
scriptures  by  both  children  and  adults.  Herein  is 
to  be  found  the  origin  of  the  "First-Day  Scripture 
Schools"  (Sunday  schools).  Until  this  time  the 
religious  instruction  of  Quaker  children  had  been 
almost  entirely  ignored.  This  new  departure,  there- 
fore, was  of  great  importance,  for  the  first  Sunday 
school  established  at  Pleasant  Plain  in  June,  1844,^-^^ 
was  the  basis  upon  which  a  very  large  part  of  the 
superstructure  of  modern  Quakerism  rests. 

The  next  evidence  of  internal  awakening  was  the 
appearance   of  a  spirit  of  revival  in  the  Quaker 


98  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

schools,  not  only  in  Iowa,  but  throughout  the  whole 
field  of  Quakerism  west  of  the  Allegheny  Moun- 
tains.^^^  In  the  spring  of  1865  ''The  Christian 
Vigilance  Band^'  was  organized  among  the  students 
of  Center  Grove  Academy,  about  two  miles  north  of 
Oskaloosa,  with  remarkable  results  ;^*^  and  in  1869 
a  similar  student  organization  was  formed  at  Whit- 
tier  College  ^^^  at  Salem.  Here  and  there  in  various 
parts  of  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  similar  manifesta- 
tions of  evangelistic  tendencies  appeared,  only  to  be 
speedily  frowned  down  by  those  in  authority.  Then, 
almost  before  the  Society  at  large  could  realize  what 
had  happened,  there  came  an  upheaval  which  all  but 
overturned  the  ancient  order.  Such  men  as  John 
Henry  Douglas,  Jeremiah  A.  Grinnell,  Dr.  Ely  Jes- 
sup,  Benjamin  B.  Hiatt,  and  John  Y.  Hoover  stepped 
forward  to  champion  the  new  movement.  In  some 
places  rash  and  unseemly  scenes  occurred.  But  the 
most  regrettable  attending  result  was  the  splitting 
off  of  the  conservative  element  into  a  separate  and 
distinct  organization  in  1877. 

The  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends  was  thus 
brought  face  to  face  with  its  internal  condition  in 
1877,  when  the  older  and  more  conservative  members 
refused  longer  to  submit  to  breaches  which  were 
being  made  in  the  ancient  faith.  Then,  freed  from 
their  restraining  influence,  the  Yearly  Meeting 
responded  vigorously  to  the  new  movement  of  evan- 
gelism. At  the  annual  gathering  in  1883  a  committee 
of  forty-two  of  the  strongest  members  from  all  parts 
of  the  Iowa  field  was  appointed  to  take  into  its  care 


RISE  OF  EVANGELISM  IN  IOWA  99 

the  evangelistic  work  of  the  Society.^"*^  The  com- 
mittee organized  before  the  close  of  the  Yearly 
Meeting  by  the  appointment  of  a  president,  secre- 
tary, and  treasurer.  The  whole  field  was  divided 
into  four  districts  as  follows,  Avith  an  evangelistic 
superintendent  in  each  district:  1st,  Oskaloosa, 
Pleasant  Plain,  and  Salem  Quarters;  2nd,  Winne- 
shiek, Minneapolis,  and  Springdale  Quarters;  3rd, 
Bangor,  Honey  Creek,  Grreenville,  and  Mt.  Vernon 
Quarters;  4th,  Ackworth,  Bear  Creek,  and  Lynn 
Grove  Quarters.  Information  relative  to  needs  and 
opportunities  was  gathered  from  every  meeting. 
Arrangements  were  made  for  financing  the  work, 
and  the  entire  strength  of  the  Yearly  Meeting  was 
enlisted  with  an  enthusiasm  which  gave  promise  of 
success. ^^^ 

For  many  years  the  disconnected  local  and  itin- 
erant ministry  had  labored  in  the  field  of  Iowa 
Quakerism  with  results  that  were  all  but  imper- 
ceptible. The  first  report  of  the  above  committee 
indicates  the  effectiveness  of  the  new  movement.  It 
reads  in  part  as  follows : 

In  a  large  number  of  our  meetings  there  have  been 
revival  meetings  held,  varying  from  a  few  days  to  four 
weeks  in  length,  in  which  about  2,200  persons  have  been 
converted,  renewed,  or  sanctified.  ...  Of  the  number 
converted  or  otherwise  blessed,  many  were  our  birth-right 
members;  but  in  some  instances  our  revival  meetings  have 
been  largely  made  up  of  people  from  outside  our  church 
membership,  a  number  of  whom  were  members  of  other 
churches  and  many  unconverted. 


100  THE  QUAKERS  OP  lOAVA 

Such  a  report  was  very  pleasing  to  the  Yearly- 
Meeting.  It  recalled  the  days  of  George  Fox  and  the 
ingatherings  of  his  time.  With  redoubled  energy 
the  committee  again  set  to  work.  In  the  reports 
which  came  up  to  the  Yearly  Meeting  for  the  two 
successive  years  of  1885  and  1886  the  results  were 
again  gratifying  — 1310  and  1888  conversions,  re- 
newals, and  sanctifications,  respectively.^"*^  These 
reports  mark  the  end  of  the  first  stage  of  the  new 
era,  and  indicate  the  beginnings  of  that  new  life  and 
vitality  which  were  to  gain  for  the  Society  of  Friends 
a  place  among  the  more  progressive  religious  de- 
nominations of  the  present  time. 

The  second  stage  of  this  evangelistic  development 
not  only  brought  into  play  the  personal  supervision 
of  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  powerful  ministers 
that  American  Quakerism  has  ever  produced,  but  it 
is  also  marked  by  the  adoption  of  that  form  of  organ- 
ization under  which  the  Yearly  Meeting  still  conducts 
its  evangelistic  and  church  extension  work,  and 
which  has  served  as  the  pattern  for  nearly  all  of  its 
other  activities.  At  the  Yearly  Meeting  held  in  1886 
the  unit  of  evangelistic  activity  was  transferred 
from  the  district  to  the  Quarterly  Meeting,  each 
Quarter  being  requested  to  appoint  an  evangelistic 
superintendent  for  itself,  while  a  ' '  General  Superin- 
tendent" was  placed  over  the  whole  field.^^^  For- 
tunate indeed  was  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of 
Friends  in  having  at  this  time  such  a  man  as  John 
Henry  Douglas  for  so  responsible  a  position.  Some 
idea  of  the  field  thus  brought  under  the  direction  of 


RISE  OF  EVANGELISM  IN  IOWA  101 

one  man  may  be  gained  from  the  General  Superin- 
tendent's report  in  1887,  which  reads  as  follows: 

We  have  churches  in  Wisconsin,  Iowa,  Minnesota, 
Dakota  Territory,  Nebraska,  Oregon,  Washington  Territory, 
California,  and  Texas,  and  individual  members  scattered  in 
all  the  great  Northwest.  .  .  .  We  have  about  one 
hundred  churches,  with  an  average  membership  of  one 
hundred.  We  have  about  one  hundred  and  forty  ministers ; 
some  fifty  of  these  in  the  active  work.^^^ 

That  John  Henry  Douglas  entered  upon  his  task 
with  vigor  is  evinced  by  the  fact  that  immediately 
upon  his  appointment  as  General  Superintendent  he 
opened  up  correspondence  with  the  ministers  and 
Christian  workers  in  every  part  of  the  field,  at  the 
rate  of  '^a  hundred  letters  per  month".  During  this 
the  first  year  of  his  superintendency  he  says : ' '  I  have 
received  invitations  to  hold  union  meetings  from  a 
large  number  of  cities  and  towns,  not  more  than  one- 
tenth  of  which  I  was  able  to  respond  to."  Under 
his  own  preaching  he  saw  during  that  year  the  ^ '  con- 
version of  over  six  hundred  souls",  some  people 
coming  from  ^' fifty  to  sixty  miles"  across  the  plains 
in  covered  wagons  with  four-horse  teams  to  attend 
his  meetings.  During  the  four  years  which  he  de- 
voted to  the  supervision  of  this  work  in  Iowa  there 
were  7430  recorded  conversions  and  2595  persons 
added  in  membership  by  this  means  to  the  Iowa 
Yearly  Meeting  of  Orthodox  Friends. 

Since  the  incumbency  of  John  Henry  Douglas 
there  have  been  four  successors  to  the  office  of 
General  Superintendent,  namely:  Isom  P.  Wooten, 


102  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

Z.  L.  Martin,  W.  Jasper  Hadley,  and  Harry  R. 
Keates.  During  the  twenty-three  years  that  have 
since  passed  away  the  ardent  vigor  of  the  earlier 
evangelical  movement  has  gradually  subsided,  and 
the  problems  confronting  these  men  have  been  in- 
creasingly those  of  the  organization  of  the  fields 
already  occupied  and  of  promoting  a  more  healthy 
and  permanent  church  extension  in  those  communi- 
ties where  already  a  sufficient  number  of  Friends 
have  settled  to  constitute  new  Quaker  congregations. 
The  evangelistic  meetings  still  play  an  important 
part  in  the  growth  of  the  Orthodox  Yearly  Meeting, 
but  this  factor  has  given  place  to  that  much  more 
powerful  institution  which  grew  directly  out  of  it, 
the  pastoral  system. 

The  two  main  contributions,  then,  which  the 
evangelistic  movement  made  to  the  Iowa  Yearly 
Meeting  of  Friends  are :  first,  a  new  vision  of  both 
the  nature  and  the  purpose  of  the  Quaker  message ; 
and  second,  that  thorough  organization  which  char- 
acterizes the  work  of  the  Yearly  Meeting  to-day. 


II 

THE  PASTORAL  SYSTEM  AMONG  THE  IOWA 
FRIENDS 

The  chief  distinguishing  feature  between  modern 
and  early  Quakerism  is  the  pastoral  system.  So 
marked  is  this  distinction  that  to-day  among  the 
English  Quakers,  where  the  original  order  of  things 
so  largely  obtains,  their  more  progressive  brethren 
on  this  side  of  the  sea  are  commonly  known  as  the 
*' Pastoral  Friends''. 

This  system,  now  so  prevalent  in  American 
Quakerism,  is  generally  considered  as  having  had  its 
rise  contemporaneously  with  the  great  awakening 
throughout  the  order  which  was  touched  upon  in  the 
previous  chapter.^^^  In  so  far  as  the  Iowa  field  is 
concerned,  however,  the  groundwork  upon  which  the 
pastoral  system  was  to  be  built  was  well  laid  years 
before  the  modern  tendencies  became  at  all  apparent. 
As  early  as  1845  the  Monthly  Meeting  at  Salem  ap- 
pointed a  committee  with  the  assigned  duty  of 
keeping  in  touch  with  its  members  who  lived  ^  ^  remote 
from  this  Meeting",  either  by  ^'writing  to  them  or 
by  visiting  them '  '.^^^  Then  came  an  extension  of  the 
duties  of  the  committee  to  the  care  of  the  local  resi- 
dent membership ;  and  so  successful  was  the  experi- 
ment that  the  plan  was  speedily  adopted  by  other 

103 


104  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

meetings,  and  by  1875  a  new  amendment  was 
attached  to  the  discipline  of  the  Iowa  Yearh^ 
Meeting  directing  that  each  Monthly  Meeting  have 
'^a  committee  on  pastoral  care  over  the  entire 
membership  ....  who  will  be  expected  to  ex- 
tend pastoral  care  towards  all  the  flock,  by  visiting- 
each  family  by  two  or  more  of  their  number  from 
time  to  time  as  they  shall  think  proper,  .... 
to  encourage  an  establishment  and  growth  in  the 
divine  life."^"*-  Thus  the  pastoral  idea  had  been 
adopted  among  the  Friends  in  Iowa  even  before  the 
Separation  of  1877. 

As  a  new  medium  of  self-preservation  this  plan 
was  at  once  seized  upon,  and  at  the  annual  gathering 
in  1876  nine  out  of  the  ten  constituent  Quarterly 
Meetings  were  able  to  report  that  they  had  complied 
with  the  above  direction  to  good  effect.  But  this 
system  soon  proved  impracticable.  The  pressure  of 
work  on  the  farms  made  it  increasingly  difficult  for 
the  members  of  the  committees  to  perform  the 
church  duties  laid  upon  them,  and  a  demand  was 
made  for  some  one  who  could  devote  his  entire  time 
to  the  work.  Thus  was  the  way  opened  for  the  shift- 
ing of  the  burden  from  the  committee  on  pastoral 
care  to  the  shoulders  of  a  single  individual:  the 
*  ^ hired '^  pastor  and  preacher. 

By  1871,  before  the  revival  movement  had  gained 
headway  in  Iowa,  two  Iowa  Quarterly  Meetings  were 
unable  to  report  to  the  annual  gathering  that  their 
testimony  concerning  a  ^'hireling  ministry*^  was 
clear. ^^"^    Three  years  later  (1874)  a  similar  breach 


THE  PASTORAL  SYSTEM  105 

was  made  in  the  ancient  Quaker  principle  of  a  free 
gospel  ministry ;  and  from  that  time  on,  reference  to 
this  time-honored  testimony  completely  disappears 
from  the  answers  to  queries  as  recorded  in  the 
minutes  of  the  Yearly  Meeting. 

In  1880  the  first  open  step  was  taken  towards  a 
complete  breaking  with  the  past.  The  Yearly  Meet- 
ing of  that  year  was  forced  by  the  more  enthusiastic 
leaders  to  consider  in  joint  session  (men  and  women 
sitting  together)  the  proposition  that  '^this  meeting 
cordially  recognizes  the  right  of  meetings,  .... 
to  invite  ministers  or  other  Friends  whom  the  Lord 
has  qualified  for  that  service  to  reside  and  labor 
among  them,  ....  suitable  provisions  being 
made  for  their  partial,  or  entire  support. '^  It  soon 
became  clear  that  the  project  had  been  thrust  for- 
ward prematurely,  and  in  the  minutes  of  the  meeting 
it  was  recorded  that  ^Svay  did  not  open  for  its 
adoption  ".^^^^ 

Owing,  however,  to  the  pressure  of  the  large 
number  of  converts  from  the  evangelistic  meetings 
held  in  every  Quarter,  the  opposition  to  the  new 
order  of  things  soon  began  to  yield.  Confronted  by 
the  demands  of  a  young  and  vigorous  membership 
which  was  not  in  sympathy  with  the  maintenance  of 
the  original  customs  and  precepts  of  the  Society,  the 
older  members  found  it  more  convenient  to  suffer  the 
necessary  changes  to  take  place  than  to  undertake 
the  long  and  laborious  process  of  education  that 
would  be  necessary  if  the  old  order  were  to  be  main- 
tained.   As  a  result,  though  not  directly  chargeable 


106  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

to  the  pastoral  system,  the  present  generation  of 
Orthodox  Friends  in  Iowa  is  surprisingly  ignorant 
of  the  ancient  and  fundamental  religious  tenets  and 
teachings  of  the  Society. 

The  committees  on  pastoral  care  and  evangelistic 
labor  now  united  and  worked  hand  in  hand  for 
a  given  end.  By  1886  the  Yearly  Meeting  was 
brought  to  reconsider  its  action  on  the  pastoral 
system.  On  the  8th  day  of  September  the  Ackworth 
Quarterly  Meeting  introduced  two  carefully  worded 
propositions  on  the  subject  which  were  at  once  re- 
ferred to  a  committee  composed  of  twenty-four  men 
and  twenty-four  women,  all  prominent  members. ^^^ 
Three  days  later  the  propositions  were  favorably 
reported  and  on  September  11,  1886,  the  pastoral 
system  was  recognized  by  the  Yearly  Meeting  in  the 
following  terms : 

1.  That  it  is  advisable  for  each  particular  meeting  to 
have  a  regular  ministry;  and  that  meetings  be  encouraged 
to  call  and  support  ministers  in  laboring  among  them  as 
pastors,  as  far  as  in  their  judgment  may  seem  wise  and 
practicable. 

2.  That  the  Evangelistic  Committee  of  Iowa  Yearly 
Meeting  be  authorized  to  provide  as  far  as  possible  for  the 
supply  of  ministers  and  workers  in  meetings  desiring  such 
help,  and  that  they  be  instructed  to  give  such  pastoral  ad- 
vice and  aid  to  any  needy  places  within  their  knowledge  as 
the  Lord  may  lead  them  to  see  advisable.  ^^^ 

Having  thus  committed  itself  to  the  new  policy, 
the  Yearly  Meeting  entered  upon  its  minutes  a 
lengthy  *^ Explanation",  stating  its  reasons  for  so 


THE  PASTORAL  SYSTEM  107 


doing.  ^^One  of  the  chief  reasons  for  this  action'', 
reads  this  statement,  ^4s  the  deplorable  fact  that 
many  individuals  brought  to  Christ  through  the 
labors  of  our  evangelists  have  been  left  almost 
immediately  to  themselves,  and  in  many  instances 
have  fallen  away  from  lack  of  care  and  instruction. 
.  .  .  .  Our  pastoral  oversight  has  not  kept  pace 
with  our  evangelistic  ingathering."  Following  this 
explanation  the  Yearly  Meeting  proceeded  to  define 
as  follows  the  intended  bounds  of  its  action  — 
bounds  which,  as  will  be  seen,  have  since  been  largely 
disregarded : 

The  action  of  the  Yearly  Meeting  is  not  to  be  construed 
as  giving  its  Evangelistic  Committee  general  jurisdiction 
over  all  individual  meetings  so  as  to  interfere  with  their 
independent  self-direction.  It  is  simply  to  assist  as  far  as 
possible  those  meetings  desiring  help,  to  give  advice  and 
assistance  to  small  needy  meetings  and  little  remote  com- 
panies of  believers  that  they  find  to  be  in  need  of  the  larger 
wisdom  of  the  superior  body.^^"^ 

The  rapidity  with  which  this  new  system  spread 
throughout  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends  is  to 
be  seen  by  the  fact  that  one  year  after  its  adoption 
it  was  reported  that  three  meetings  were  supplied 
with  pastors  who  were  fully  supported,  six  with 
pastors  who  had  two  or  more  appointments  each, 
and  fourteen  with  pastors  having  one  appointment 
each.  By  1889  the  number  of  acknowledged  pastors 
had  increased  to  fifty-one,  fifteen  of  whom  were  re- 
ceiving full  support  from  the  meetings  which  they 
served,  while  thirty-two  received  partial  support. 


108  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

In  1889  the  fifty-one  ministers  received  the  total  sum 
of  $6,411.69 ;  in  1900  the  amount  paid  throughout  the 
Yearly  Meeting  for  pastoral  support  was  $13,305.96 ; 
while  in  1912,  with  sixty  pastors  in  service,  the 
amount  paid  for  their  support  stood  at  $23,677.07. 
Although  the  pastoral  system  has  become  firmly 
established  in  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting,  it  still  pre- 
sents many  intricate  and  perplexing  problems,  and 
may  safely  be  said  still  to  be  in  the  early  stages  of 
evolutionary  development. ^^^  Throughout  the  Year- 
ly Meeting  there  is  apparently  a  groping  after  the 
right  course  for  the  future,  based  on  the  unsatisfac- 
tory conditions  of  the  present.  In  the  homes,  on  the 
farms,  in  places  of  business,  on  the  trains,  and 
everywhere  among  the  Friends  of  Iowa  the  prob- 
lems of  the  church  are  being  discussed.  The  advan- 
tages of  system  and  centralization  are  almost 
universally  acknowledged.  But  with  the  growing 
professional  tone  and  formality  of  the  modern 
ministry,  the  manifest  decline  of  congregational 
interest  and  responsibility  in  the  meetings  for 
business  and  worship,  the  marked  disappearance  of 
Quaker  simplicity  in  manner  of  dress  and  personal 
conduct,  and  the  ever-tightening  grasp  of  a  system  of 
church  government  which  threatens  to  stamp  out  the 
independence  of  the  various  local  meetings,  many 
Friends  are  filled  with  forebodings  for  the  future. 
Nevertheless,  as  has  been  said  of  the  pastoral  system 
in  general,  ^^it  is  not  clear  that  equal  progress  could 
have  been  made  under  any  other  form  of  procedure, 
or  that  without  it  we  would  not  have  lost,  e'er  this, 
most  of  what  was  gained  through  the  revival.  "^^^ 


in 

THE  IOWA  ORTHODOX  QUAKER  MINISTRY 

In  his  apology  for  the  ^'Principles  and  Doctrines  of 
the  People  called  Quakers ' ',  Robert  Barclay  enumer- 
ated the  fundamental  principles  of  the  Quaker 
ministry  as  follows : 

As  by  the  light  or  gift  of  God  all  true  knowledge  in 
things  spiritual  is  conceived  and  revealed,  so  by  the  same, 
as  it  is  manifested  and  received  in  the  heart,  ....  every 
true  minister  of  the  gospel  is  ordained,  prepared,  and  sup- 
plied in  the  work  of  the  ministry;  and  by  the  leading, 
moving,  and  drawing  hereof  ought  every  evangelist  and 
Christian  pastor  to  be  led  and  ordered  in  his  labour  and 
work  of  the  gospel;  both  as  to  the  place  ivhere,  as  to  the 
persons  whom,  and  as  to  the  time  wherein  he  is  to  minister. 
Moreover,  they  who  have  this  authority  may  and  ought  to 
preach  the  gospel,  though  without  human  commissio7i  or 
literature;  as  on  the  other  hand,  they  who  want  the  author- 
ity of  this  divine  gift,  however  learned,  or  authorized  by  the 
commission  of  men  and  churches,  are  to  be  esteemed  but  as 
deceivers,  and  not  true  ministers  of  the  gospel.  Also  they 
who  have  received  this  holy  and  unspotted  gift,  as  they  have 
freely  received  it,  so  are  they  freely  to  give  it,  without  hire 
or  bargaining,  far  less  to  use  it  as  a  Trade  to  get  money 
by.i6o 

Such  was  the  early  Quaker  conception  of  the 
ministry,  and  such  it  remained  to  a  very  large  extent 

109 


110  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

even  among  the  Friends  in  Iowa  until  the  pastoral 
system  was  ushered  in  with  all  of  its  attendant 
changes.  Then  came  the  gradual  transition  from  a 
form  of  religious  service  in  which  all  the  members  of 
the  meeting  had  equal  privileges  and  responsibilities, 
and  where  the  only  impelling  force  to  vocal  utterance 
for  either  minister  or  people  was  the  direct  leadings 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  a  form  in  which  the  pastor,  as 
the  remunerated  servant  of  the  congregation,  was 
the  chief  spokesman  and  religious  guide  on  all  occa- 
sions. At  the  present  time  a  strong  tendency 
toward  formality  in  the  religious  services  prevails : 
when  the  given  hour  arrives  the  minister  ascends 
the  pulpit,  a  hymn  is  announced,  the  organ  or  piano 
begins  to  play,  the  choir  sings,  the  scriptures  are 
read,  prayer  is  offered,  the  sermon  prepared  for  the 
occasion  is  delivered,  another  hymn  is  sung,  the  bene- 
diction is  duly  pronounced,  and  the  service  ends  —  a 
service  which  is  in  strange  contrast  with  the  simple, 
silent  meetings  which  universally  prevailed  among 
the  Friends  in  former  days. 

That  it  was  not  intended  by  the  Yearly  Meeting 
in  Iowa  that  the  introduction  of  the  pastoral  system 
should  thus  reduce  its  meetings  for  worship  to  a  one- 
man  ministry  and  a  set  routine  is  made  clear  by  the 
statement  which  opened  the  explanation  accompany- 
ing the  adoption  of  the  proposed  system  in  1886: 
''By  a  regular  ministry  is  not  meant  that  a  single 
person  should  be  placed  at  the  head  of  a  meeting  and 
do  all  the  preaching,  nor  that  there  should  neces- 
sarily be  preaching  in  every  single  instance '\    But 


IOWA  ORTHODOX  QUAKER  MINISTRY      111 

the  very  conditions  which  were  thus  guarded  against 
now  prevail  almost  universally  among  the  Orthodox 
Friends  in  Iowa.  The  religious  responsibility  of  the 
individual  member  in  the  congregation  has  largely 
been  shifted  to  the  shoulders  of  the  pastor.  Under 
ordinary  circumstances  he  is  expected  to  preach  a 
sermon  both  religiously  instructive  and  intellectu- 
ally interesting.  If  the  sermon  approaches  an  hour 
in  length,  uneasiness  and  restlessness  is  frequently 
observed.  Periods  of  ^^ waiting  silence'',  once  so 
precious  to  those  who  deemed  reflection  and  deliber- 
ate thought  the  best  medium  for  worship,  are  often 
periods  of  embarrassment  for  both  the  congregation 
and  the  minister. 

It  is  true  that  there  are  many  meetings  among  the 
Orthodox  Friends  in  this  State  where  periods  of 
silent  worship  are  scrupulously  observed  and  where 
every  encouragement  is  offered  for  vocal  prayer  or 
testimony  on  the  part  of  members  of  the  congre- 
gation ;  but  there  is  now  a  strong  tendency  through- 
out the  Yearly  Meeting  to  sacrifice  this,  an  essential 
characteristic  of  the  old-time  Quaker  meeting,  to  the 
growing  idea  that  a  religious  meeting,  to  be  success- 
ful, must  be  kept  moving,  with  no  long  and  embar- 
rassing pauses.  It  has  been  pointed  out  that  there  is 
^'in  the  comparatively  aggressive  attitude  we  have 
assumed  of  late  years  ....  a  constant  temp- 
tation to  adopt  methods  less  pure,  less  severely 
disinterested,  than  those  to  which  we  are  pledged  by 
all  our  traditions.  "^^^  This  breaking  away  from 
time-honored  tenets  and  customs  is  one  of  the  great- 


112  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

est  problems  which  now  confronts  the  Quaker 
ministry  not  only  in  Iowa,  but  throughout  the  entire 
country. 

Since  it  is  the  set  policy  of  the  Society  of  Friends 
that  ^^  Whatever  may  be  the  talents  or  Scriptural 
knowledge  of  any,  unless  there  be  a  distinct  call  to 
the  ministry,  our  Society  cannot  acknowledge  it ;  and 
except  there  be  a  sense  of  the  renewed  putting  forth 
and  quickening  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  we  be- 
lieve it  to  be  utterly  unsafe  to  move  in  this  office '  V^" 
it  is  of  interest  to  note  the  manner  in  which  the 
Friends  single  out  those  who  have  this  divine  gift, 
and  how  they  are  recognized  as  ministers.  ^^When  a 
member,  man  or  woman,  has  spoken  as  a  minister 
.  .  .  .  so  that  the  meeting  is  edified  and  spirit- 
ually helped  thereby,"  the  ministers,  elders,  and 
overseers  of  the  local  Monthly  Meeting  are  to  ^'care- 
fully consider  whether  he  has  received  from  the 
Head  of  the  Church  a  gift  in  the  ministry  which 
should  be  officially  recognized. ' '  Once  this  local  body 
of  officers  is  favorably  disposed  the  matter  is  taken 
up  by  a  committee  purposely  appointed  by  the  Quar- 
terly Meeting  of  which  the  party  concerned  is  a 
member,  which  committee  is  charged  with  the  duty 
of  obtaining  'information  as  to  the  evidence  that  the 
person  has  received  spiritual  gifts ;  as  to  his  manner 
of  life ;  his  doctrinal  views ;  his  mental  capacity ;  and 
his  general  qualifications  for  the  ministry."  If  the 
results  of  such  inquiry  prove  satisfactory,  the 
Quarterly  Meeting  returns  the  request  with  its  con- 
sent to  the  Monthly  Meeting  from  which  it  has  come. 


IOWA  ORTHODOX  QUAKER  MINISTRY      113 

with  authority  to  '^act  in  the  case  according  to  its 
judgment. ' '  ^^^ 

Such  in  general  has  for  many  years  been  the  plan 
of  recognizing  ministers  in  the  Society  of  Friends; 
but  as  the  result  of  long  prevailing  looseness  in  this 
important  matter,  the  Orthodox  Friends  in  Iowa 
have  now  proposed  that  the  Yearly  Meeting  appoint 
five  of  its  most  responsible  members  to  act  as  a 
** Board  on  Eecording  Ministers''  to  take  into  its 
care,  in  the  manner  heretofore  described,  the  exam- 
ination of  all  persons  proposed  for  the  ministry 
throughout  the  Yearly  Meeting.  Under  this  plan  it 
is  expected  that  more  careful  and  thorough  investi- 
gation will  be  made  in  each  case,  and  thus  a  higher 
standard  for  the  ministry  will  be  maintained.  The 
Yearly  Meeting  itself,  in  open  session,  becomes  the 
final  acting  authority;  while  the  persons  concerned 
are  to  receive  from  the  hand  of  the  Clerk  of  the 
Yearly  Meeting  ^*a  certificate  stating  the  action  of 
the  meeting  ".^^* 

A  second  set  of  problems  which  confront  the 
Iowa  Friends  in  this  connection  are  those  which 
center  around  the  practice  of  employing  a  paid  min- 
istry. In  the  light  of  its  traditions  there  is  but  one 
ground  upon  which  the  Society  can  justify  this 
practice,  namely,  the  ground  of  modern  economic 
and  social  necessity.  In  former  days  the  Friends 
repudiated  the  idea  that  men  should  be  remunerated 
for  preaching  the  truths  of  a  gospel  message  which 
was  intended  to  be  as  free  as  the  air.  If,  however,  in 
the  adjustment  of  things  religious  to  suit  the  condi- 


114  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

tions  of  present-day  society  it  becomes  necessary  for 
a  man  to  devote  his  entire  time  to  ministerial  duties, 
it  is  the  modern  view  that  society  in  turn  should  see 
that  such  a  person  be  supported,  and  that  without 
embarrassment,  at  his  highest  point  of  efficiency. 

Until  a  generation  ago  the  Society  of  Friends  at 
large  was  tenacious  in  its  opposition  to  an  '^hireling 
ministry".  In  the  early  days  most  of  the  Quaker 
ministers  in  Iowa  were  holders  of  land  which  they 
had  acquired  by  settlement,  and  they  stood  on  equal 
terms  with  all  other  members  of  the  community, 
sharing  with  them  all  of  the  hardships  common  to 
pioneer  life.  They  cleared  their  fields,  harvested 
their  crops,  and  gained  their  livelihood  as  did  their 
neighbors;  and  then  on  Sunday  morning  they  went 
to  meeting  to  sit  in  silence  or  to  speak  in  an  im- 
promptu manner  as  the  Spirit  gave  them  utterance. 
This  done,  the  duties  of  their  station  were  per- 
formed. But  such  is  not  the  case  with  the  pastoral 
body  of  to-day.  With  but  few  exceptions,  the  pastors 
among  the  Friends  in  Iowa  are  a  landless  class, 
dependent  for  their  daily  bread,  at  least  in  a  large 
part,  upon  the  salary  received  for  their  pastoral 
labors. 

That  they  have  been  placed  in  this  condition  by 
modern  developments  is  readily  apparent.  The 
pastor  of  to-day  is  not  only  considered  as  the  mouth- 
piece of  the  community  on  all  religious  occasions, 
but  in  times  of  trouble  or  misfortune  he  is  also 
looked  to  as  the  natural  comforter.  When  difficulties 
arise,  he  is  expected  to  be  the  adviser.    When  nuptial 


IOWA  ORTHODOX  QUAKER  MINISTRY      115 

ceremonies  are  to  be  performed  lie  is  a  necessary 
guest.  When  death  comes,  he  is  called  upon  to  per- 
form the  last  rites  in  honor  of  the  departed.  In  all 
matters  of  uplift  in  the  community  his  is  the  part  of 
a  leader  and  guide.  Under  such  conditions  a  min- 
ister's time  is  entirely  taken  up  with  pastoral  duties, 
leaving  him  little  opportunity  to  gain  a  livelihood  by 
engaging  in  other  pursuits. 

In  viewing  the  Iowa  field  in  1909  the  Meeting  on 
Ministry  and  Oversight  of  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting 
drew  up  the  following  statement  of  the  conditions 
then  existing : 

Our  ministers,  especially  our  pastors  as  a  whole,  have 
good  educational  qualifications.  They  are  thoughtful,  in- 
dustrious and  helpful  to  those  under  their  pastoral  care. 
We  have  just  grounds,  however,  of  fear  that  some  of  our 
ministers  are  not  as  successful  in  soul  winning,  soul  feeding, 
as  possibly  they  might  otherwise  be.  And  what  is  said  of 
ministers  and  pastors  may  in  a  subordinate  sense  be  said  of 
the  members  of  our  meetings  on  ministry  and  oversight.^^^ 

This  is  a  clear  statement  of  the  present  situation ; 
but  for  the  real  causes  few  people  are  sufficiently 
concerned  to  diligently  seek.  In  the  face  of  an  ex- 
penditure of  $20,546.69  for  the  maintenance  of  a 
pastoral  system  during  the  year  1910-1911,  during 
that  same  year  the  membership  of  the  Iowa  Yearly 
Meeting  decreased  from  9029  to  8578;  and  while 
there  were  but  forty-one  members  received  from 
other  denominations  there  were  eighty-nine  certifi- 
cates of  membership  issued  to  persons  wishing  to 
enter    other    denominations.      Of    the    seventy-one 


116  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

meetings  reporting  to  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  in 
1912,  sixty  per  cent  had  less  than  one  hundred  mem- 
bers, over  eighty-eight  per  cent  fell  below  two 
hundred,  while  but  one  could  boast  a  membership  of 
five  hundred  persons.  Moreover,  about  twenty-five 
per  cent  of  the  members  of  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting 
reside  outside  of  the  State. 

A  few  reasons  for  this  condition  of  affairs 
present  themselves.  In  the  first  place,  strong  leader- 
ship is  apparently  lacking.  Twenty-five  years  ago 
the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends  was  guided  by 
such  strong  leaders  as  John  Henry  Douglas,  Cyrus 
Beede,  and  Laurie  Tatum.  To-day,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one  or  two  persons  who  are  hampered  by 
adverse  conditions,  men  of  this  stamp  are  not  forth- 
coming. In  the  second  place,  the  starvation  wage 
upon  which  the  ministers  among  the  Friends  in  Iowa 
are  compelled  to  subsist  makes  it  almost  impossible 
for  a  man  to  enter  this  field  of  labor  with  the  fair 
expectation  of  raising  a  family  and  maintaining  a 
home  in  keeping  with  the  average  standard  of  living 
in  the  community. ^^^  In  the  third  place,  the  system 
of  constantly  changing  pastors  is  destructive  of 
permanency  along  the  line  of  church  activity  and 
prevents  the  carrying  out  of  far-reaching  policies  by 
the  ministry. ^^^  In  the  fourth  place,  as  has  been 
seen,  most  of  the  meetings  of  Friends  in  Iowa  are 
small,  and  consequently  they  do  not  present  a  strong 
appeal  to  young  men  of  ability  who  are  looking  for  a 
place  for  the  large  and  permanent  investment  of 
their  energies.    Finally,  the  almost  universal  scarci- 


IOWA  ORTHODOX  QUAKER  MINISTRY      117 

ty  of  available  church  funds  blocks  at  every  turn  the 
progress  which  might  otherwise  be  made  by  the 
present  ministry. 

These  are  some  of  the  causes  for  the  stagnant 
condition  of  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends; 
and  these  are  some  of  the  problems  which  must  be 
met  and  solved  if  in  the  years  that  are  to  come 
Quakerism  is  to  hold  its  own  in  this  State. 


IV 

THE  GENERAL  SUPERINTENDENT 

The  one  office  which  to-day  stands  out  in  importance 
above  all  others  in  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of 
Orthodox  Friends  is  that  of  the  ^^  General  Superin- 
tendent of  Evangelistic,  Pastoral,  and  Church 
Extension  Work'\  This  office  had  its  origin,  as  its 
name  would  indicate,  both  in  the  evangelistic  and 
pastoral  systems  and  in  the  modern  demand  for  a 
careful  supervision  of  the  whole  field  of  the  work  of 
the  Yearly  Meeting.  Its  history  is  the  record  of  the 
labors  of  the  five  men  who  have  held  the  position.^^^ 

Born  at  Fairfield,  Maine,  in  1832,  John  Henry 
Douglas,  the  first  General  Superintendent  among 
the  Iowa  Friends,  was  in  the  very  prime  of  life  when 
he  assumed  the  responsibilities  of  this  new  office. 
He  was  trained  ^'according  to  the  strictest  secf  of 
the  Quaker  faith,  receiving  his  early  education  at 
St.  Albans  and  at  Hartland  Academy  in  his  native 
State,  and  later  spending  three  years  at  the  Friends ' 
School  at  Providence,  Rhode  Island.  By  1858  he 
was  recorded  as  a  minister  in  the  Society  of  Friends 
in  Clinton  County,  Ohio ;  and  from  there  he  came  to 
lowa.^^^ 

Douglas  arrived  in  Iowa  about  the  time  that  the 
evangelistic  movement  was  getting  well  under  way. 
He  entered  into  the  work  with  an  energy  and  enthu- 

118 


THE  GENERAL  SUPERINTENDENT  119 

siasm  which  gave  the  movement  a  great  impetus. 
Keen  of  mind,  eloquent  in  speech,  magnetic,  and 
tireless,  as  the  first  General  Superintendent  among 
the  Iowa  Friends,  John  Henry  Douglas  left  his  in- 
delible stamp  upon  the  church  in  a  firmly  rooted 
pastoral  system  and  a  new  membership  which  to-day 
constitutes  the  backbone  of  the  Society  in  Iowa. 

Worn  out  by  ceaseless  toil,  at  the  end  of  four 
years  Douglas's  health  failed  him  and  he  was  com- 
pelled to  give  up  the  superintendency.  Before  long, 
however,  he  was  again  at  work  in  other  fields. 
Twenty-nine  times  he  has  crossed  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains in  the  course  of  his  labors,  and  now  after  sixty 
years  in  the  ministry  ^^^  he  is  able  to  write  from  his 
California  home  that  his  interest  in  the  work  is 
unabated. 

In  looking  forward  to  the  man  who  might  be 
chosen  to  take  his  place  Douglas  wrote  to  the  Yearly 
Meeting  in  1889:  ^'I  would  suggest  that  my  suc- 
cessor should  be  a  man  of  God,  full  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  wisdom.  He  should  be  a  man  of  large 
experience  in  both  the  evangelistic  and  pastoral 
work,  ....  and  he  should  be  a  man  capable  of 
representing  the  church  before  the  world  ".^^^ 

It  was  upon  just  such  a  man  that  the  choice  fell. 
Much  like  his  predecessor,  Isom  P.  Wooten  was  filled 
with  a  zeal  for  evangelistic  work.  For  five  years  he 
labored  with  a  vigor  that  commanded  respect  on 
every  hand.  Evangelism,  pastoral  needs,  and  the 
internal  organization  of  the  fields  already  occupied, 
all  received  his  constant  attention.     For  the  first 


120  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

year  he  reported  that  throughout  the  Iowa  Yearly 
Meeting  there  were  sixty-six  ministers  who  devoted 
at  least  a  part  of  their  time  to  evangelistic  work; 
while  during  the  five  years  of  his  administration  the 
records  show  the  conversion  of  6251  persons  through 
this  means,  with  3878  names  added  to  the  member- 
ship rolls  of  the  church. 

The  labors  which  had  overtaxed  the  strength  of 
John  Henry  Douglas,  likewise  proved  too  much  for 
Isom  P.  Wooten  and  he  also  was  compelled  to  retire 
from  the  work.  At  the  annual  gathering  in  1895 
Zenas  L.  Martin  ^^^  ^^s  called  by  the  Iowa  Yearly 
Meeting  to  the  General  Superintendency.  While  the 
five  years  which  followed  show  the  same  evangelistic 
activity  which  had  been  displayed  under  the  two 
previous  administrations,  it  is  to  be  remembered 
that  the  problems  confronting  the  General  Superin- 
tendent were  rapidly  changing.  The  evangelistic 
movement,  so  far  as  the  Society  of  Friends  in  Iowa 
was  concerned,  had  spent  its  force;  and  the  real 
problem  of  the  church  was  that  of  holding  the  ground 
already  taken  and  the  development  of  a  strong  life 
within.  This  problem  Martin  undertook  to  solve. 
He  repeatedly  called  the  attention  of  the  Yearly 
Meeting  to  the  necessity  not  only  of  building  up  its 
pastoral  service  by  the  increase  of  salaries  and  the 
construction  of  comfortable  parsonages,^^^  but  also 
of  providing  ^^  homes  for  our  aged  ministers,  some  of 
whom  in  giving  their  whole  time  to  the  ministry 
have  been  unable  to  provide  for  the  needs  of  their 
declining  years. '  ^ 


THE  GENERAL  SUPERINTENDENT  121 

Like  those  who  had  served  as  General  Superin- 
tendent before  him,  Zenas  L.  Martin  gave  a  definite 
bent  to  the  policy  of  the  Yearly  Meeting.  In  point- 
ing out  the  fact  that  *^most  of  our  churches,  for 
years,  have  followed  with  studied  regularity  their 
methods,  time  and  place  of  holding  annual  evangel- 
istic meetings '^  he  ventured  to  recommend  the 
uniting  with  other  denominations  where  feasible, 
both  for  the  salvation  of  souls  and  for  the  upbuilding 
of  the  communities  where  Friends  found  themselves 
brought  into  contact  with  other  churches.  This  plan 
has  frequently  been  tried,  but  of  late  years  with 
little  or  no  success  so  far  as  Friends  are  concerned. 

Having  ^*  received  a  call  from  the  American 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions  to  take  charge  of  the 
mission  work  in  the  West  Indies '^  Zenas  L.  Martin 
resigned  the  superintendency  of  the  Iowa  Yearly 
Meeting  on  April  1,  1900,  and  William  Jasper  Had- 
ley,  then  acting  as  the  President  of  the  Executive 
Board  of  the  Evangelistic  Committee,  was  appointed 
to  fill  out  the  unexpired  term.^^^ 

When  William  Jasper  Hadley  read  the  report  of 
the  Evangelistic  Committee  in  the  fall  of  1900  it  was 
clear  to  all  that  he  was  the  logical  successor  to  the 
superintendency.  As  pastor  of  several  of  the  most 
important  congregations  in  the  Yearly  Meeting,^^^ 
as  clerk  of  Monthly,  Quarterly,  and  Yearly  meetings, 
and  as  President  of  the  Mission  Board  he  had 
known  the  problems  and  conditions  of  the  home  and 
foreign  field  probably  better  than  any  other  man  in 
Iowa.    He  accepted  the  office,  and  for  eleven  years 


122  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

he  performed  the  tasks  of  the  position  with  a  devo- 
tion and  with  results  which  place  him  alongside  of 
John  Henry  Douglas  for  the  services  which  he  ren- 
dered to  the  Society. 

While  the  first  General  Superintendent  labored 
chiefly  in  the  work  of  evangelism,  Hadley  concen- 
trated his  efforts  on  the  perfection  of  a  more 
effective  form  of  church  machinery.  The  extent  to 
which  the  former  succeeded  has  been  noted ;  while  to 
appreciate  the  full  measure  in  which  the  latter 
accomplished  his  purpose,  one  must  view  the  organ- 
ization through  which  the  Superintendent  does  his 
work  to-day.  Hadley  persistently  urged  the  consoli- 
dation of  rural  meetings  into  circuits,  the  central- 
ization of  authority  in  the  hands  of  the  Evangelistic 
Board,  and  the  establishment  of  permanent  funds 
for  the  care  of  aged  ministers  and  for  church 
extension.  He  aroused  a  deeper  appreciation  of  the 
problems  confronting  the  church. 

William  Jasper  Hadley  resigned  the  office  of 
General  Superintendent  in  the  fall  of  1911,  and 
Harry  R.  Keates,^^^  a  man  of  wide  experience  and 
great  energy,  became  his  successor.  Evangelistic  in 
his  methods,  the  type  of  ministry  which  Keates  is 
bringing  to  bear  upon  the  home  field  appears  in  the 
following  statement  from  his  first  annual  report  to 
the  Yearly  Meeting  in  1912 : 

The  preaching  demanded  today  is  the  same  that  has 
been  blessed  of  God  in  the  past  to  the  salvation  of  souls. 
Man 's  utterly  lost  condition,  the  penalty  for  sin,  the  Divine 
provision  for  salvation,  man's  responsibility  for  accepting 


THE  GENERAL  SUPERINTENDENT  123 

this  on  Divine  terms,  its  results  here  and  hereafter  are 
fundamentals  which  cannot  be  ignored. 

The  vigor  with  which  the  new  Superintendent 
entered  upon  his  work  surprised  and  almost  alarmed 
many  members  of  the  Society.  For  some  time  the 
meeting  at  Marshalltown,  Iowa,  had  been  torn  and 
rent  with  factions  to  such  an  extent  that  it  was  on 
the  verge  of  breaking  into  pieces.  In  a  manner  that 
in  the  light  of  ancient  Quaker  democracy  seemed 
arbitrary,  the  Evangelistic  Board  intervened  and 
enforced  its  right  to  adjust  the  difficulties.  A  storm 
was  raised,  and  the  Yearly  Meeting  was  asked  to 
give  its  ruling  in  the  case.^^"^ 

Keates  has  also  grappled  with  the  problem  of  re- 
energizing the  ministry  of  the  Yearly  Meeting  on  an 
evangelical  basis.  Constantly  moving  from  one 
Quarterly  Meeting  to  another,  he  has  throughout  the 
field  called  the  ministers  and  workers  into  special 
conferences  to  discuss  the  problems  of  each  partic- 
ular charge.  Here  again  adverse  criticism  has  found 
expression.  Undaunted,  however,  at  passing  ob- 
stacles, Keates  has  continued  his  work  with  an 
enthusiasm  which  promises  to  put  new  vitality  into 
the  Society. 


V 

THE  CHRISTIAN  WORKERS^  ASSEMBLY 

In  1890,  at  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  on  Ministry  and 
Oversight,  a  project  was  launched  for  a  ministerial 
training  school  by  one  who  felt  *  ^  a  concern  for  young 
ministers  and  workers,  that  they  have  the  right  kind 
of  training,  preparation  and  instruction  for  their 
important  work.''  Fully  appreciating  the  fact  that 
the  majority  of  its  ministers  came  from  the  common 
walks  of  life,  without  having  had  the  advantages  of 
a  college  education,^^®  the  Meeting  on  Ministry  and 
Oversight  at  once  took  up  the  matter.  A  represent- 
ative committee  was  appointed  to  consider  the 
subject;  and  in  consequence  a  "Summer  School"  of 
four  or  five  days  duration  was  held  for  such  workers 
at  Le  Grand,  Iowa,  in  June,  1892. 

From  the  very  first  the  undertaking  was  a  suc- 
cess. So  enthusiastic  were  the  forty  or  more  persons 
who  attended  the  school  at  Le  Grand  that  plans  were 
made  for  the  holding  of  a  similar  school  at  Earlham, 
Iowa,  the  following  year.  This  in  turn  proved  of 
like  benefit  to  the  large  number  of  ministers  and 
workers  who  assembled ;  and  that  fall  the  movement 
was  officially  endorsed  and  encouraged  by  the  Yearly 
Meeting.  In  the  fall  of  1895  the  Yearly  Meeting 
appointed  a  managing  board  of  six  of  its  prominent 
members  to  assume  the  responsibility  of  carrying  on 

124 


CHRISTIAN  WORKERS'  ASSEMBLY         125 

the  work;^^^  and  at  the  same  time  the  name  *^  Sum- 
mer School"  was  changed  to  that  of  ^^The  Christian 
Workers'  Training  School",  which  it  continued  to 
bear  until  1903,  when  it  was  again  changed  to  *^The 
Christian  Workers'  Assembly" — a  name  which  it 
still  bears.^^^ 

The  Christian  Workers'  Assembly,  throughout 
the  two  decades  of  its  development,  has  found  its 
chief  importance  in  the  coming  together  of  the  active 
forces  of  the  orthodox  body  for  mutual  consultation 
over  the  problems  of  the  church  before  the  con- 
vening of  the  regular  sessions  of  the  Yearly  Meeting, 
where  the  press  of  business  leaves  but  little  time  for 
the  thorough  discussion  of  the  less  tangible  concerns 
of  the  Society.  Here  the  ministers  and  church 
workers  from  the  entire  field  come  more  intimately 
into  touch  with  each  other.  Here  the  detailed  prob- 
lems of  the  ministry  are  taken  up  and  threshed  out 
in  the  light  of  the  experience  of  the  whole  body. 
Here  new  friendships  are  formed ;  ministers  new  to 
the  field  are  introduced;  and  a  fresh  interest, 
earnestness,  and  enthusiasm  are  almost  invariably 
developed.  Thus  the  gathering  serves  well  its  pur- 
pose in  the  onward  movement  of  the  church. 

Since  1893  the  ^'Assembly"  has  been  held  at  New 
Providence,  West  Branch,  Oskaloosa,  Indianola, 
New  Sharon,  Lynnville,  and  Marshalltown  —  each 
time  with  a  program  planned  to  meet  the  urgent 
needs  of  the  hour.  Such  subjects  as  ^^  Missionary 
Work,  Christian  Endeavor,  Sabbath  School,  Church 
Loyalty,  Power  of  Prayer  and  Bible  Study,  Personal 


126  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

Work,  Holiness,  Family  Religion,  Call  to  the  Min- 
istry, Social  Life,  Moral  Issues,  Church  Literature, 
City  and  Country  Problems,  Music  and  Militar- 
jgj^jjisi  ^YQ  assigned  to  capable  members  of  the 
Iowa  body  for  formal  discussion ;  and  usually  there 
are  in  attendance  upon  the  invitation  of  the  As- 
sembly prominent  persons  from  other  Yearly  Meet- 
ings to  lecture  on  subjects  with  which  they  are 
particularly  familiar. 

The  stand  which  the  ministers  as  a  whole  have 
taken  on  the  tendency  toward  centralizing  control  in 
the  hands  of  a  Board  on  Recording  Ministers  is 
clearly  set  forth  in  the  following  resolution,  adopted 
by  the  Christian  Workers '  Assembly  in  1912 : 

Resolved,  That  we  believe  the  final  act  in  recording  of 
ministers  should  be  in  the  Yearly  Meeting  and  that  we  ask 
the  Yearly  Meeting  to  request  the  permanent  Board  to 
consider  the  proposition  from  Honey  Creek  Quarterly 
Meeting  referred  to  them  in  1910. 

Indeed  the  resolution  went  one  step  further  than 
this  in  recommending  that  there  be  ^  ^  a  clause  added 
requiring  a  course  of  reading  and  an  examination  on 
the  same'\^^^ 

In  meeting  the  modern  demand  for  a  strong, 
efficient,  educated,  and  spiritual  ministry,  it  is  un- 
questionably true  that,  aside  from  Penn  College,  the 
Christian  Workers'  Assembly  must  be  the  chief 
source  of  supply  for  the  future.  It  has  made  itself 
of  vital  importance  in  the  modern  program  of 
progress  outlined  by  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of 
Orthodox  Friends. 


VI 

MODERN  QUAKERISM  IN  IOWA 

Many  of  the  fundamental  testimonies  for  which  the 
Friends  still  seem  to  stand  ont  in  the  public  mind 
had  served  their  purpose  long  before  the  first 
Quakers  came  to  Iowa.  But  during  the  last  three- 
quarters  of  a  century  the  Friends  in  Iowa  have  had 
ample  opportunity  to  assert  their  position  upon  the 
problems  of  justice  to  the  Indian  and  freedom  to  the 
negro,  and  to  express  their  hatred  of  war. 

Against  the  evils  of  the  past  the  people  called 
Quakers  were  persistent  and  courageous  in  their 
opposition.  But  an  entirely  new  set  of  problems  now 
confronts  the  American  people.  Social  immorality, 
economic  injustice,  civic  unrighteousness,  and  eccle- 
siastical formalism  —  these  are  among  the  evils 
which  are  claiming  the  attention  of  churches  and 
of  reformers  at  the  present  time. 

In  view  of  the  conditions  which  prevail  through- 
out the  entire  field  of  Iowa  Quakerism  it  is  not 
surprising  that  on  every  hand  thinking  Friends  are 
asking  themselves  the  question  whether  or  not  the 
Quakers  any  longer  have  a  distinctive  message. 
Still  to  a  large  extent  rural  in  its  membership,  the 
Society  of  Friends  in  Iowa  has  not  been  brought  into 
direct  contact  with  those  forces  of  economic  dis- 

127 


128  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

content  which  are  disturbing  our  large  industrial 
centers.  The  Quakers  have  been  inclined  to  hold 
aloof  from  the  political  conflicts  which  have  from 
time  to  time  convulsed  the  country  ^^^ — except  in 
their  opposition  to  the  liquor  traffic.  Usually  well 
trained  in  the  home,  few  Quaker  children  find  their 
way  into  the  criminal/^*  pauper,  or  socially  degen- 
erate classes  of  society.  Few  in  numbers  as  they  are 
in  comparison  to  the  whole  population  of  the  State, 
and  gifted  with  a  natural  religious  inclination,  the 
Society  of  Friends  has  been  comparatively  success- 
ful in  preserving  its  religious  integrity,  in  spite  of 
the  worldliness  which  has  invaded  even  the  most 
obscure  country  districts. 

Almost  universally  the  Friends  in  Iowa,  including 
even  the  Conservatives,  have  brushed  aside  those 
external  eccentricities  which  once  marked  them  out 
as  a  peculiar  and  seclusive  people.  The  orthodox 
body,  as  has  been  seen  in  the  preceding  chapters, 
has  adopted  modern  methods  of  church  activity,  if 
not  with  the  same  degree  of  energy  which  some 
other  denominations  show,  still  with  results  which 
are  in  marked  contrast  with  their  earlier  policy  of 
seclusion.  To  be  specific,  the  Orthodox  Friends  in 
Iowa  have  launched  boldly  into  foreign  mission 
work,  spending  large  sums  of  money  in  the  enter- 
prise, and  sending  many  of  their  strongest  leaders 
into  the  field.  They  are  continually  placing  greater 
and  greater  emphasis  upon  the  importance  of  higher 
education,  thus  preparing  their  youth  to  meet  the 
competition  of  modern  life.    And  they  are  insisting 


MODERN  QUAKERISM  IN  IOWA  129 

through  every  possible  channel  upon  the  mainte- 
nance of  the  purity  of  their  ministry  and  religious 
doctrines.  But  with  all  these  changes  the  question 
still  remains :  has  the  Society  of  Friends  a  message 
for  the  world  to-day? 

Until  about  ten  years  ago  there  was  little  evidence 
in  this  country  that  any  satisfactory  answer  to  this 
question  was  forthcoming.^*^  But  now  it  is  safe  to 
say  that  Quakerism  is  being  given  a  new  meaning  in 
terms  of  modern  life.  The  ideal  of  social  service  has 
been  developed  in  its  midst;  and  this  religious 
society,  which  once  so  scrupulously  refrained  from 
contact  with  the  ^^ profane"  world,  is  now  preparing 
itself  to  take  an  active  part  in  the  work  of  uplifting 
humanity.  The  fact  is  gradually  being  recognized 
that  the  great  need  of  the  world  is  not  more  religion, 
but  that  religion  as  it  is  should  touch  the  common 
plane  of  the  common  man's  daily  life. 


PART  III 

THE  MINORITY  BODIES  OF  FRIENDS 
IN  IOWA 


131 


THE  ANTI-SLAVERY  FRIENDS  IN  IOWA 

In  the  year  1688  the  Friends  of  Germantown, 
Pennsylvania,  drew  up  the  famous  ^  ^  Germantown 
Friends'  Protest  Against  Slavery'' ;^^^  and  from 
that  time  on  until  the  last  vestiges  of  the  slave  power 
had  been  banished  from  America,  the  Society  of 
Friends  stood  in  the  forefront  of  the  struggle  for 
human  freedom.  The  Quakers  had  been  firm  and 
outspoken  in  their  position  on  this  great  question  for 
generations.  But  as  the  first  half  of  the  nineteenth 
century  drew  to  its  close,  the  Society  stood  charged 
by  the  Abolitionists  with  having  changed  its  colors 
and  turned  pro-slavery. ^^^ 

As  has  been  seen  in  a  previous  chapter,  most  of 
the  Friends  who  early  came  into  Indiana  were  from 
the  southern  States,  where  they  had  come  into  direct 
contact  with  slavery.  Having  moved  into  the  Old 
Northwest  for  the  specific  purpose  of  getting  away 
from  slavery,  these  Friends  might  well  have  been 
expected  to  champion  the  cause  of  abolition ;  but  such 
was  not  the  case.  Reserved  in  manner  of  life,  it  had 
never  been  *Hhe  practice  of  Friends  to  make  a 
parade  before  the  public  of  their  efforts  in  the  cause 
of  humanity ".  ''  Silently  and  steadily  to  persevere 
in  the  path  of  duty,  unawed  by  the  frowns  of  the 

133 


134  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

world '  \  was,  and  ever  had  been,  their  characteristic 
attitude.  It  is  not  strange,  therefore,  that  in  spite  of 
their  deep  desire  to  see  the  complete  overthrow  of 
the  institution  of  slavery,  the  Society  of  Friends  as 
a  whole  in  America  refused  to  ally  itself  with  the 
Abolitionists. 

In  1838,  however,  within  the  Society  there  began 
a  movement  of  immense  importance  to  the  Indiana 
Yearly  Meeting  and  to  the  Quaker  settlements  grow- 
ing up  about  Salem  in  Iowa.  In  that  year  a  few 
interested  members  convened  at  Newport,  Indiana, 
to  consider  what  should  be  their  rightful  attitude 
towards  the  growing  anti-slavery  movement  of  the 
day.  Before  adjournment  twenty-five  dollars  were 
subscribed  for  the  purchase  of  anti-slavery  books, 
tracts,  and  papers,  to  be  circulated  throughout  the 
community.  About  two  years  later  this  work  re- 
ceived a  decided  stimulus  by  the  visit  of  Arnold 
Buffum,  a  Friend  and  one  of  the  original  founders 
of  the  American  Anti-Slavery  Society,  who,  with  the 
aid  of  Levi  Coffin  and  others,  labored  for  several 
months  in  various  parts  of  the  Indiana  Yearly 
Meeting.  The  New  Garden  Quarterly  Meeting,  near 
Newport,  became  the  focal  point  for  the  anti-slavery 
activities  of  the  Friends  in  the  West,  much  to  the 
chagrin  of  the  leaders  of  the  Yearly  Meeting.^^* 

Passing  from  mere  abolition  sympathizers  to  ac- 
tive propagandists,  some  of  the  bolder  spirits  among 
the  avowed  Quaker  abolitionists  undertook  to  force 
the  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting  for  Sufferings  into  the 
same  activity ;  but  they  were  at  once  frowned  down 


ANTI-SLAVERY  FRIENDS  IN  IOWA  135 

by  those  in  authority.  The  crisis  came  at  the  Yearly 
Meeting  in  1842.  It  was  in  the  early  autumn,  and 
the  great  American  compromiser,  Henry  Clay,  was 
in  Richmond,  Indiana,  on  an  electioneering  cam- 
paign. Upon  hearing  that  the  Indiana  Friends  were 
in  attendance  at  their  annual  gathering.  Clay  let  it 
be  known  that  he  would  like  to  visit  the  meeting; 
and  soon  the  desired  invitation  was  forthcoming. 
Fearing  the  effect  which  the  presence  of  so  distin- 
guished a  slave-holder  might  have  upon  their  cause, 
the  anti-slavery  leaders  called  upon  him  with  a 
petition  signed  by  about  two  thousand  of  their 
number,  requesting  him  to  free  his  slaves.  In  his 
adroit  manner  the  petition  was  put  aside ;  while  on 
the  morrow  (Sunday)  Clay  was  conducted  to  the 
Yearly  Meeting  by  its  chief  clerk,  and  was  given 
^*one  of  the  most  conspicuous  places  in  the  house  ".^^^ 
On  that  day,  says  an  eye  witness,  ^^Colonization 
triumphed  over  Abolitionism  in  a  large  Yearly  Meet- 
ing of  Quakers''  and  ^^ Henry  was  informed,  that 
Friends  had  neither  part  nor  lot  with  the  Abolition- 
ists !!"i^^ 

Events  led  rapidly  to  disruption.  Eight  promi- 
nent members  of  the  Yearly  Meeting  for  Sufferings 
—  among  whom  was  the  well  known  Thomas  Frazier 
of  Salem,  Iowa  —  were  summarily  proscribed  for 
having  ^^ unhappily  joined  in  with  these  [abolition] 
views,  and  opposed  and  rejected  both  privately  and 
publicly,  the  advice  of  that  body '  \  When  about  one 
hundred  of  these  dissatisfied  members  undertook  to 
hold  a  meeting  in  the  yearly  meeting-house  '^to  con- 


136  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

sider  what  course  it  would  be  proper  for  them  to 
pursue ' ',  they  were  ruthlessly  thrust  from  the  build- 
ing. A  committee  was  also  appointed  to  visit  all 
Quarterly,  Monthly,  and  Preparative  Meetings  com- 
posing the  Yearly  Meeting  for  the  purpose  of 
reading  to  each  community  the  '  ^  direction ' '  that  all 
members  refrain  from  uniting  with  any  abolition 
societies,  or  even  allowing  their  meeting-houses  to  be 
used  for  anti-slavery  meetings  upon  pain  of  being 
dealt  with.  1^1 

It  was  now  clear  to  all  that  any  who  desired  to 
array  themselves  openly  against  the  slave  power 
must  do  so  outside  of  the  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting  of 
Friends.  There  was,  therefore,  but  one  thing  for  the 
abolitionist  Friends  to  do,  namely,  to  organize  in- 
dependently of  the  parent  body.  This  they  did ;  and 
at  their  chief  stronghold,  Newport,  on  February  7, 
1843,  there  was  founded  the  ''Indiana  Yearly  Meet- 
ing of  Anti-Slavery  Friends' V*^^  with  four  Quarterly 
Meetings  (of  which  Salem,  Iowa,  was  one)  and  with 
a  membership  which  soon  numbered  about  two 
thousand. 

Unique,  indeed,  in  the  history  of  the  Friends  is 
this  schism  over  the  question  of  slavery.  By  setting 
aside  the  intense  bitterness  and  the  charges  and 
counter-charges  flung  back  and  forth  between  the 
two  factions  it  is  now  clear  that  the  real  differences 
lay  not  so  much  in  the  question  of  the  final  abolition 
of  slavery,  as  in  the  manner  by  which  this  end  was 
to  be  accomplished. 

Naturally   a   disruption  within   the   Society   of 


ANTI-SLAVERY  FRIENDS  IN  IOWA  137 

Friends  on  this  question  attracted  wide  attention. 
The  London  Yearly  Meeting,  long  committed  to  the 
cause  of  abolition,  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  affair, 
and  in  1845  sent  a  deputation  of  four  of  its  promi- 
nent members  to  the  Indiana  Y^early  Meeting  to  bring 
about  a  reconciliation.  The  deputation,  after  a  long 
and  wearisome  journey,  arrived  in  Richmond, 
Indiana,  on  September  29th,  just  in  time  to  attend 
the  sessions  of  the  Yearly  Meeting.  Here  they  per- 
ceived the  real  situation  and  decided  to  visit  *^  these 
dear  soi-disant  anti-slavery  friends  in  their  own 
respective  neighborhoods. ' ' 

Immediately  upon  the  close  of  the  Yearly  Meeting 
the  four  English  Friends  set  out  for  Salem,  Iowa, 
the  most  western  settlement  whither  the  disaffection 
had  spread.  For  two  long  weeks  these  messengers 
of  good  will  journeyed  westward.  On  the  26th  day  of 
October  they  reached  the  village  of  Salem  and  from 
there,  on  the  following  day,  William  Foster,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  committee,  wrote  to  his  wife : 

Here  we  are,  twenty  miles  west  of  the  Mississippi,  1140 
from  New  York,  and,  as  far  as  I  know,  we  have  now  arrived 
at  the  most  remote  point  of  our  travels. 

Having  crossed  the  river  late  Saturday  evening, 
the  party  arrived  at  the  New  Garden  meeting  on  the 
following  morning,  ^^  before  Friends  were  all  as- 
sembled"; and  of  the  place  Foster  writes:  ^^A  log 
house  in  the  open  prairie  ....  pretty  well 
filled  with  new  settlers  and  their  children ;  such  a  lot 
of  babies  as  I  had  never  before  seen  in  so  small  a 
meeting.  "^^^ 


138  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

Upon  entering  Salem,  these  English  visitors  had, 
as  will  be  seen  later,  reached  the  chief  station  on  the 
*' Underground  Railway''  in  southeastern  Iowa. 
Owing  to  its  close  proximity  to  the  Missouri  border, 
there  had  appeared  almost  at  the  beginning  of  the 
settlement  at  Salem  a  line  of  cleavage  between  those 
members  of  the  Society  who  stood  for  open  defiance 
of  the  slave  power  and  thpse  w^ho  insisted  upon  the 
necessity  of  Avorking  under  the  cover  of  secrecy. 
Unable  to  conform  to  the  latter  policy,  a  number  of 
the  prominent  members  —  among  whom  were  Aaron 
Street,  Jr.,  Thomas  Frazier,  Elwood  Osborn,  Hen- 
derson Lewelling,  Marmaduke  Jay,  James  Comer, 
Eli  Jessup,  Nathan  Hammer  and  Jonathan  Cook  — 
early  withdrew  from  the  Salem  Monthly  Meeting,  set 
up  a  monthly  meeting  of  their  own,  built  a  new 
meeting-house,  purchased  a  five-acre  tract  of  land 
for  a  burying  ground,  and  termed  themselves  the 
^ ^Abolition  Friends ".^^^ 

In  accordance  with  the  strict  orders  of  the 
Indiana  Yearly  Meeting  concerning  the  Anti-slavery 
Separatists,  complaint  against  Jonathan  Cook  and 
Elwood  Osborn  was  on  March  25,  1843,  laid  before 
the  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  because  of  their  ^*  neg- 
lecting the  attendance  of  our  religious  meetings  and 
for  detraction  ".^^^  Care  was  extended  to  these  two 
Friends,  and  after  a  period  of  several  months  Osborn 
was  brought  to  retract  his  position,  presenting  to  the 
meeting  the  f  ollovf ing  statement : 

Dear  Friends  I  have  given  way  so  far  as  to  uninten- 
tionally be  guilty  of  detraction  and  also  for  taking  a  part 


ANTI-SLAVERY  FRIENDS  IN  IOWA  139 

in  setting  up  a  separate  meeting  and  attending  the  same; 
for  which  deviation  I  am  sorry  and  desire  friends  to  pass 
by  the  same  and  continue  me  a  member  as  long  as  my  future 
conduct  may  deserve. 

[Signed]  Elwood  Osborn^^s 

From  this  time  on,  as  the  anti-slavery  feeling 
became  more  and  more  intense  at  Salem,  scarcely  a 
monthly  meeting  convened  without  one  or  more  mem- 
bers being  complained  against  for  joining  the 
^^Separatists''.  Jonathan  Cook,  refusing  to  ac- 
knowledge that  he  was  sorry  for  the  course  he  had 
taken,  was  disowned;  and  before  the  year  1845  had 
drawn  to  its  close,  no  less  than  fifty  of  the  most 
vigorous  members  of  the  Salem  Monthly  Meeting 
had  been  dealt  with,  most  of  them  being  disowned. 

Having  spent  Sunday,  October  26th,  at  New 
Garden,  the  visiting  deputation  of  English  Friends 
drove  into  Salem  toward  evening.  There  they  found 
rest  and  comfort;  and  on  Tuesday,  the  28th,  in 
response  to  a  call  which  had  been  issued  by  them, 
they  met  in  conference  with  the  Anti- Slavery  Friends 
in  their  little  meeting-house.  ''After  the  meeting 
had  been  gathered  a  few  minutes,  George  Stacey 
arose  to  his  feet,  made  a  few  remarks  explanatory 
of  their  mission,  read  the  Minute  of  their  appoint- 
ment, and  then  the  Address  from  London  Yearly 
Meeting'',  which,  in  part,  runs  as  follows : 

To  those  ivlio  have  recently  withdrawn  from  Indiana 
Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends: 

Dear  Friends  —  This  meeting  has  from  time  to  time 
been  introduced  into  a  feeling  of  much  brotherly  concern 


140  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

and  interest  on  your  behalf,  in  consequence  of  your  having 
withdrawn  from  the  body  of  Friends  in  Indiana  Yearly 
Meeting;  and  those  feelings  are  attended  with  an  earnest 
and  affectionate  solicitude  for  your  re-union  with  them. 

The  considerations  which  have  led  us  to  address  you  are 
confirmed  on  reflecting  on  the  comfort  and  strength  which 
have  arisen  from  that  Christian  fellowship  and  harmony 
which  have  prevailed  in  our  religious  Society  to  so  large  an 
extent  from  its  rise  to  the  present  period;  which  we  can 
only  ascribe  to  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  so  conspicu- 
ously manifested  at  its  first  gathering;  and  every  inter- 
ruption to  w^hich  blessings  must  be  regarded  as  a  very 
serious  evil. 

Trusting  that  on  the  fundamental  doctrines  of  the  Gos- 
pel, and  on  the  spirituality  of  divine  w^orship,  there  exists 
no  essential  difference  between  you  and  the  body  from  w^hich 
you  have  withdrawn,  we  have  felt  much  concern  and  sorrow 
on  hearing  that  you  have  discontinued  assembling  with 
them  to  present  yourselves  together  before  the  Lord.  Ac- 
cept, we  beseech  you,  our  earnest  and  affectionate  entreaty 
that  you  wall  relinquish  your  separate  meetings  for  this 
purpose  —  w^ill  w^holly  discontinue  them,  and  again  assem- 
ble for  the  public  w^orship  of  Almighty  God  with  those  with 
w^hom  you  have  been  accustomed  thus  to  meet. 

"With  sincere  desires  that  the  wisdom  which  is  from 
above,  w^hich  is  pure,  peaceable,  gentle  and  easy  to  be  en- 
treated, may  be  granted  to  every  one  of  you  on  the  perusal 
and  calm  consideration  of  this  our  affectionate  address,  we 
are  your  friends : 

Signed  in  and  behalf  of  the  Meeting  by 

George  Stagey 
Clerk  to  the  [London  Yearly]  Meeting  this  year.^^"^ 


ANTI-SLAVERY  FRIENDS  IN  IOWA  141 

At  the  close  of  this  address  of  admonition  and 
appeal  each  of  the  visiting  Friends  had  something 
to  say  concerning  the  occasion.  ^^ William  Foster'', 
says  one  who  was  present,  ^'expressed,  in  a  feeling 
manner,  his  gratitude  for  the  opportunity  with  us, 
and  bore  testimony  to  the  precious  solemnity  which 
covered  the  meeting".  In  response  to  the  '^Ad- 
dress'', the  "committee  were  informed  that  our 
English  brethren  did  not  know  what  they  were  ask- 
ing of  us,  when  they  required  our  return  to  those 
from  whom  we  have  separated,  without  a  removal  of 
the  causes  of  the  separation". 

After  a  '^full  and  free  expression  of  sentiment" 
by  those  present  on  the  contents  of  the  London 
"Address",  the  London  Friends  withdrew;  and  the 
meeting  further  discussed  the  matter  and  appointed 
a  committee  to  draw  up  a  proper  reply  on  the  subject. 
Early  the  next  morning  the  following  statement, 
signed  by  six  men  and  four  women,  was  presented  to 
the  deputation : 

Esteemed  Friends,  William  Foster,  Josiah  Foster, 
George^  Stacey,  and  John  Allen, 

Upon  duly  considering  the  advice  contained  in  the 
Address  to  us  from  London  Yearly  Meeting,  to  discontinue 
our  meetings  for  worship,  and  attend  the  meetings  for 
worship  of  those  with  whom  we  were  formerly  associated  in 
religious  fellowship,  we  believe  it  right  to  inform  you, 
through  this  medium,  that  we  cannot  accede  to  the  propo- 
sition, for  the  following  reasons : 

First,  because  we  occupy  our  present  position  more  from 
necessity  than  choice,  having  no  alternative  left  us,  if  we 
would  enjoy  the  benefit  of  religious  society  [they  had  al- 


142  THE  QUAKERS  OF  lO^VA 

ready  been  disowned].  Second,  because  we  believe  it  would 
be  a  virtual  surrender  of  our  A.  S.  [Anti-Slavery]  prin- 
ciples. Third,  because  by  so  doing  w^e  would  not  be  securing 
to  ourselves  the  benefits  of  religious  society,  nor  the  fellow- 
ship and  unity  so  desirable,  unless  we  are  acknowledged  by 
those  you  advise  us  to  return  to,  as  Friends  in  unity,  with 
full  privilege  to  continue  our  active  exertions  in  the  A.  S. 
cause,  as  Truth  may  dictate,  being  accountable  to  the 
Society  for  violations  of  the  discipline  only.  .  .  . 
Fourth,  because  by  so  doing  our  influence  in  a  society 
capacity  will  be  lost,  and  thus,  instead  of  advancing  the 
cause  of  truth  and  righteousness  on  the  earth,  we  would 
become  a  hindrance.  And  fifth,  because  w^e  are  in  unity 
wdth  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting  of  A.  S.  Friends,  and  believe 
the  Advice  should  claim  the  attention  of  our  Meeting  for 
Sufferings. 

And,  in  conclusion,  we  would  further  state,  that  we  can 
but  view  the  course  of  London  Yearly  Meeting,  and  your 
course  as  a  committee,  as  very  extraordinary.  That  mthout 
ever  entering  into  an  impartial  examination  of  the  causes 
that  led  to  the  difficulty  that  exists  between  us,  and  those 
we  w^ere  formerly  associated  with  in  religious  fellowship, 
you  enter  into  judgement,  and  require  us  to  return,  without 
an  effort  to  remove  the  causes  of  the  difficulty  that  separates 
us ;  which  removal  would  open  the  way  for  us  to  return  on 
principles  that  would  have  a  tendency  to  restore  the  unity 
that  is  so  desirable,  but  which  cannot  be  restored  without 
the  removal  of  those  causes. 

In  love  w^e  remain  your  friends.  ^^^ 

Having  thus  failed  in  their  mission  to  the  Anti- 
Slavery  Friends  at  Salem,  the  deputation  prepared 
to  leave  for  Nettle  Creek,  Indiana,  where  they  would 
pursue  the  same  course.     Before  their  departure, 


ANTI-SLAYERY  FRIENDS  IN  IOWA  143 

however,  on  October  31st  they  attended  the  regular 
Salem  Monthly  Meeting,  which  recognized  their 
presence  in  the  following  significant  statement  : 

Our  Beloved  friend  William  Foster,  a  minister  in  com- 
pany with  his  brethren  George  Stacey,  Josiah  Foster  and 
John  Allen,  all  from  England  in  the  prosecution  of  their 
visit  in  passing  through  these  parts  have  acceptably  attend- 
ed this  meeting  &  produced  a  copy  of  a  minute  from  our 
yearly  meeting  directing  them  to  the  attention  of  Sub- 
ordinate meetings  whose  company  and  labor  of  Gospel  love 
amongs[t]  us  have  been  satisfactory  &  edifying.^^^ 

A  last  attempt  at  conciliation  on  the  part  of  the 
Anti-Slavery  Friends  at  Salem  was  made  on  Satur- 
day morning,  November  1st.  In  response  to  the 
urgent  request  of  these  Quakers,  the  English  depu- 
tation again  convened  with  them  to  review  the 
situation.  The  Salem  Friends  undertook  to  explain 
the  causes  for  their  separation  and  the  situation  in 
which  they  were  placed ;  but  the  commission  at  once 
let  it  be  known,  positively  and  clearly,  that  they  had 
not  come  to  America  for  the  purpose  of  investi- 
gating the  right  or  the  wrong  in  the  separation,  but 
that  they  had  come  with  the  specific  purpose  and 
under  directions  to  summon  the  Anti-Slavery 
Friends,  in  the  name  of  the  London  Yearly  Meeting, 
to  disband  and  to  return  unconditionally  to  the 
parent  body. 

Now  came  the  final  clash.  Realizing  the  high- 
handed manner  in  which  this  representation  from 
across  the  sea  proposed  to  crush  them,  Quakers 
though  they  were,  the  Anti-slavery  leaders  exhibited 


144  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

something  of  the  spirit  and  pioneer  courage  of  their 
forefathers.  The  London  Friends  were  plainly  told 
that  their  mission  in  America  must  inevitably  widen 
rather  than  heal  the  breach  between  the  two  bodies 
of  Friends  in  the  West,  and  that  it  would  likewise 
have  a  strong  tendency  ^^to  retard  the  work  of 
emancipation  in  the  United  States,  by  throwing  the 
weight  of  the  influence  of  the  Society  of  Friends  in 
England  and  America,  against  the  honest  laborers  in 
the  cause '\  But  such  advice  was  utterly  disregard- 
ed, and,  having  visited  each  of  the  separatist 
families  at  Salem,  the  visiting  deputation  left  Iowa 
for  the  other  Anti-slavery  Quaker  centers  to  the  east- 
ward, displaying  at  every  point  the  same  indisposi- 
tion to  enter  into  the  merits  of  the  controversy,  and 
in  turn  being  met  each  time  with  the  same  unflinching 
opposition. 

The  remaining  history  of  the  anti-slavery  move- 
ment among  the  Friends  at  Salem  and  in  the 
Indiana  Yearly  Meeting  can  be  briefly  told.  In  Iowa 
these  vigorous  Friends  made  Salem  one  of  the 
most  hated  spots  to  the  Missouri  slave-catcher  in  the 
southeastern  part  of  the  State.  Here,  as  in 
Indiana,  they  gradually  drew  into  their  ranks  the 
most  energetic  spirits  of  the  main  body,  and  forced 
the  whole  Society  into  a  more  open  and  sympathetic 
attitude  towards  the  abolitionists.  Gradually 
throughout  the  North  the  term  abolition  lost  its 
stigma;  the  leaders  of  the  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting 
abandoned  their  proscriptive  measures;  and  a 
change  was  made  in  the  Discipline,  making  it  easy 


ANTI-SLAVERY  FRIENDS  IN  IOWA  145 

for  their  brethren  to  return  to  the  fold.  At  Salem 
the  Anti-slavery  meeting  gradually  declined  through 
the  death  of  some  of  its  members,  the  removal  of 
others  to  other  communities,  and  the  return  of  most 
of  the  rest  to  the  main  body.  The  meeting-house 
was  finally  abandoned  and  sold  for  a  dwelling  before 
the  opening  of  the  war;  and  in  1862  the  Salem 
Monthly  Meeting  purchased  the  Anti-Slavery 
Friends'  burying  ground  for  the  sum  of  twenty 
dollars. -'^*^  In  Indiana  by  1857  scarcely  enough  was 
left  of  the  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting  of  Anti-Slavery 
Friends  to  keep  up  a  Monthly  or  Quarterly  Meeting, 
and  in  this  year  it,  too,  was  abandoned. 


10 


II 

THE  HICKSITE  FRIENDS  IN  IOWA 

While  the  difficulties  arising  out  of  the  Anti-slavery 
separation  were  being  worked  out  at  Salem,  another 
settlement  composed  of  Hicksite  Friends,  with 
which  the  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  had  no  con- 
nection, was  forming  in  the  northern  part  of  Henry 
County. 

For  nearly  a  century  and  a  half  after  the  Friends 
came  to  America  almost  unbroken  harmony  reigned 
among  them.  Then,  as  outside  persecution  and  op- 
pression of  this  peculiar  people  ceased,  disruption 
took  place  within  their  ranks  which  split  the  Society 
into  two  irreconcilable  camps,  each  nursing  its  ani- 
mosities down  to  the  present  time.  This  upheaval 
had  its  origin  in  the  preaching  of  Elias  Hicks,  a 
strong,  eloquent,  and  powerful  minister  from  Long 
Island,  New  York,  who  traveled  far  and  wide, 
spreading  religious  views  which  to  the  heads  of  the 
church  seemed  to  be  unitarian  and  unorthodox.  The 
movement  focused  at  the  Philadelphia  Yearly  Meet- 
ing in  1827,  where  amidst  intense  feeling,  antagon- 
ism, and  commotion,  the  Hicks  sympathizers  effected 
a  separation  from  the  main  body  and  organized 
independently.  The  disaffection,  already  wide- 
spread, was  carried  to  a  similar  issue  in  the  Yearly 

146 


THE  HICKSITE  FRIENDS  IN  IOWA  147 

Meetings  of  Baltimore,  New  York,  Ohio,  and 
Indiana.  In  places  there  was  great  disorder  and 
confusion,  followed  by  appeals  to  courts  of  law  for 
the  possession  of  lands,  meeting-houses,  and  schools 
which  each  faction  claimed.  The  Yearly  Meetings  of 
Genesee,  held  at  Coldstream,  Ontario,  Canada,  and 
the  Illinois  Yearly  Meeting,  held  near  McNabb, 
Illinois,  to  which  the  Iowa  Hicksite  Friends  belong, 
did  not  figure  in  the  bitter  scenes  of  this  early  sepa- 
ration, but  were  largely  the  result  of  later  migration 
and  expansion.^*^^ 

This  movement,  which  so  violently  disrupted 
American  Quakerism,  came  to  Iowa  as  a  spent  force. 
The  first  Hicksite  Friends  to  appear  in  Iowa,  so  far 
as  there  is  record,  came  from  the  Monthly  Meetings 
of  Hopewell,  Goose  Creek,  and  Fairfax,  in  Virginia ; 
and  in  the  northern  part  of  Henry  County  (Wayne 
Township)  they  planted  their  settlement  in  1855  or 
1856,  giving  to  it  the  appropriate  name  of  Prairie 
Grove. 

With  an  acknowledged  minister  in  their  midst, 
and  with  some  who  in  their  earlier  home  had  occu- 
pied the  station  of  elder,  these  Friends  opened  up  a 
meeting  in  a  neighboring  schoolhouse  and  made 
application  through  their  respective  monthly  meet- 
ings to  the  Fairfax  Quarterly  Meeting  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  new  Monthly  Meeting  among  them. 
This  request,  ^^  expressing  in  touching  language  and 
great  tenderness  their  painful  situation  in  being 
deprived  of  an  opportunity  of  attending  religious 
meetings'',  awakened  in  the  Quarterly  Meeting  ^^a 


148  THE  QUAKERS  OP  IOWA 

feeling  of  deep  sympathy  with  our  absent  brethren 
and  sisters,  in  their  remote  and  tried  situation.  *' 
A  committee  was  first  appointed  to  correspond  with 
those  making  the  request;  but  in  November,  1856, 
the  plea  was  granted,  and  in  the  dead  of  winter, 
1856-1857,  a  committee  of  five  members  made  their 
way  to  this  far  distant  settlement,  to  assist  in  of- 
ficially opening  the  desired  Monthly  Meeting. 

Providing  themselves  against  the  scarcities  of 
the  new  West,  the  ^^  Committee  took  out  with  them 
books,  suitably  prepared,  in  which  to  keep  a  register 
of  their  members,  and  a  record  of  births  and  deaths 
amongst  them,  to  record  the  minutes  of  the  Monthly 
Meeting,  to  record  certificates  of  removal,  and  mar- 
riage certificates.  They  also  took  out  several  copies 
of  our  discipline  for  the  use  of  the  members  of  that 
meeting.''  They  arrived  at  their  destination  in 
safety ;  and  on  the  6th  day  of  December,  1856,  opened 
the  Prairie  Grove  Monthly  Meeting  with  all  due 
solemnity. 

The  one  problem  which  gave  the  Virginia  com- 
mittee concern  in  its  work  of  organizing  the  new 
Monthly  Meeting  was  the  fact  that  there  was  no 
regular  meeting-house.  The  schoolhouse  could,  as 
before,  be  used  for  First-day  services ;  but  the  mid- 
week and  business  meetings,  in  consequence  of  the 
regular  school  which  was  conducted  during  the  week, 
were  left  unprovided  for  —  a  grave  matter  in  point 
of  the  Society's  discipline.  This  difficulty,  however, 
was  obviated  by  the  gift  of  three  acres  of  land  as  a 
site  for  a  meeting-house  and  burial  grounds  by  two 


THE  HICKSITE  FRIENDS  IN  IOWA  149 

resident  Friends;  while  the  construction  of  a  meet- 
ing-house, estimated  at  a  cost  of  $1300,  ' 'including 
sliding  partitions,  and  seats'',  was  also  provided  for, 
the  Prairie  Grove  Friends  and  the  Fairfax  Quarter- 
ly Meeting  each  paying  half  of  the  expense. -^^ 

While  the  Hicksite  Friends  from  Virginia  were 
thus  building  their  settlement  in  Henry  County,  a 
prosperous  community  of  the  same  sect  was  develop- 
ing about  West  Liberty,  in  Muscatine  County,  to  the 
northward.  Among  the  earliest  and  most  prominent 
Friends  settling  in  that  neighborhood  were  John 
Wright  from  Ohio  in  1845,  Nehemiah  Chase  from 
Ohio  in  1848,  Witham  Haines  prior  to  1853,  Joseph 
M.  Wood  from  Ohio  in  1853,  Stephen  Mosher  from 
Ohio  in  1853,  and  George  and  Reuben  Elliott,  both 
from  Maryland,  in  1855.2*^"  Before  long  a  meeting 
was  established  at  West  Liberty  by  the  name  of 
Wapsinonoc,^^^  which  in  June,  1866,  united  with 
Prairie  Grove  to  form  the  Prairie  Grove  Quarterly 
Meeting,  then  under  the  Baltimore  Yearly  Meeting 
but  now  under  the  Illinois  Yearly  Meeting  of 
(Hicksite)  Friends. 

By  way  of  comparison,  the  Orthodox  and  Hicksite 
bodies  of  Friends  in  Iowa  now  present  an  interesting 
subject  for  study.  While  the  former  are  progressive 
in  spirit  and  modernized  in  outward  appearance ;  the 
latter  are  more  conservative,  though  not  eccentric, 
attempting  to  preserve  the  distinctive  features  of 
Quakerism  in  their  manner  of  worship  and  home  life. 
The  Orthodox  Friends  in  this  State  have  for  the  last 


150  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

twenty-five  years  placed  great  emphasis  on  evangel- 
istic activities,  upon  a  developing  pastoral  system, 
and  upon  both  home  and  foreign  mission  work;  while 
the  Hicksite  Friends  have  at  no  time  adopted  popu- 
lar evangelistic  methods.  They  have  no  pastoral 
system  or  paid  ministry,  and  they  maintain  no 
distinct  missions,  either  home  or  foreign,  although 
they  most  energetically  support  works  of  general 
philanthropy.  In  the  various  departments  of  activ- 
ity in  the  Illinois  Yearly  Meeting,  such  as  *'Eescue 
Work",  ''Indian  Affairs",  ''Lotteries,  Gambling, 
etc.",  "Peace  Arbitration",  "Prison  Keform", 
"Temperance",  "Education  and  Equal  Rights  [for 
women]",  and  "Interests  of  Colored  People",  the 
Hicksite  Friends  resident  in  Iowa  usually  hold 
prominent  places  and  take  an  active  part. 

In  like  manner  the  fields  of  labor,  the  numerical 
strength,  and  the  problems  confronting  these  two 
bodies  in  Iowa  present  an  interesting  and  striking 
comparison.  As  has  been  pointed  out,  the  Ortho- 
dox Friends  have  seventy-one  Monthly  Meetings, 
with  a  total  membership  in  1912  of  8383;  while 
the  Hicksites  are  limited  to  three  Monthly  Meetings, 
with  a  membership  of  191  persons.  As  has  been  the 
case  with  the  Society  in  America  as  a  whole,^^^  the 
Hicksite  Friends  in  Iowa  show  almost  a  steady 
decline  from  393  members  in  1893,  to  191  members 
in  1912.2o«  rjy^Q  causes  for  this  decline  are  in  many 
respects  identical  with  those  which  are  responsible 
for  the  decline  among  the  Orthodox  Friends.  The 
increase  of  death-rate  over  the  birth-rate,  the  sift- 


THE  HICKSITE  FRIENDS  IN  IOWA  151 

ing  of  their  young  people  into  the  more  progressive 
denominations,  the  migratory  tendency  of  their 
people  —  all  these  are  causes  for  the  present  pre- 
carious condition  of  the  Society.  During  the  decade 
1903  to  1912  the  records  of  the  Prairie  Grove 
Quarterly  Meeting  show  but  three  births.  In  1912 
less  than  ten  per  cent  of  the  membership  was  made 
up  of  minors ;  while  in  the  same  year  almost  fifty- 
two  per  cent  of  the  membership  of  the  Quarterly 
Meeting  was  non-resident,  scattered  over  various 
parts  of  Iowa  and  the  States  of  Alabama,  Arkansas, 
California,  Colorado,  Idaho,  Illinois,  Indiana,  Kan- 
sas, Louisiana,  Minnesota,  Missouri,  Montana, 
Nebraska,  North  Dakota,  Oklahoma,  Oregon,  and 
Washington.2^^ 

As  the  older  members  of  the  Hicksite  Friends  in 
Iowa  now  assemble  on  Sabbath  mornings  at  their 
little  meeting-houses  to  sit  down  together  in  quiet 
and  peaceful  worship,  they  have  the  consciousness  of 
a  past  that  is  full  of  rich  labor ;  but  before  them  lies 
an  uncertain  future.  Like  their  Orthodox  brethren, 
they  too  are  located  in  agricultural  communities,  far 
removed  from  contact  with  the  life  and  issues  of  the 
modern  world.  To-day  they  seem  to  have  little  part 
in  the  world's  work.  At  the  same  time  the  results  of 
years  of  simple  living,  linked  with  a  devoted  re- 
ligious faith,  are  evident  among  them.  Clear  of 
features,  clean  of  soul,  natural  in  manner,  open  of 
heart,  these  Friends,  few  though  they  are  in  num- 
bers, may  be  said  to  have  more  nearly  preserved  the 
true  characteristics  of  the  primitive  Quaker  than 


152  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

have  the  other  sects  going  by  that  name  in  the  State 
of  Iowa,  with  the  possible  exception  of  the  Spring- 
ville  settlement  of  Conservative  Friends  in  Linn 
County. 

In  view  of  the  common  Quaker  name  which  the 
Hicksite  and  Orthodox  Friends  bear,  the  question  is 
often  asked  by  the  present  generation :  '^  Why  do  not 
these  two  religious  sects  reunite  and  combine  their 
efforts  upon  grounds  that  are  common  to  each!^' 
The  impossibility  of  such  a  reunion  because  of  the 
divergent  religious  teachings  of  three-quarters  of  a 
century  ago  has  been  pointed  out  in  the  pages  of  the 
Evangelical  Friendfi?^^  but  it  is  safe  to  say  that 
these  religious  differences  exist  more  in  imagination 
than  in  fact  between  the  two  sects  in  Iowa  to-day.  In 
the  most  simple  phraseology,  the  Illinois  Yearly 
Meeting  of  the  Society  of  (Hicksite)  Friends  states 
the  essence  of  its  religious  position  as  follows : 

The  Society  of  "Friends"  had  its  origin  in  1647-1648 
with  George  Fox,  who  was  educated  in  the  doctrines  of  the 
''Church  of  England,"  but  who,  at  an  early  age,  became 
dissatisfied  with  its  teachings,  and  its  interpretations  of  the 
Bible ;  and  being  led  into  periods  of  solitary  meditation  and 
prayer,  there  came  times  in  which  the  truths  of  this  book 
were  opened  clearly  to  his  spiritual  vision. 

The  doctrines  of  the  universality  and  efficacy  of  what  he 
termed  the  ' '  Inner  Light ; ' '  that  consciousness  within,  that 
tells  us  when  we  do  right,  and  when  we  do  wrong;  the 
"still  small  voice"  that  spoke  to  Elijah  of  old,  which  has 
ever  been  the  watchword  of  the  true  Friend,  was  revealed 
to  him  with  such  power,  that  he  felt  it  to  be  his  mission  to 
proclaim  it  to  the  people  at  large,  calling  them  from  de- 


THE  HICKSITE  FRIENDS  IN  IOWA  153 

pendence  upon  priests  and  preachers  for  instruction  in 
religious  duties,  to  this  inner  guide. 

While  we  believe  in  the  inspiration  of  the  Bible,  and  that 
it  is  a  record  of  God's  dealings  with  men  in  the  past,  and  is 
a  treasure  house  of  sublime  truths,  which,  if  heeded,  will  be 
a  great  help  to  us,  we  believe  the  spirit  that  inspired  their 
writing  to  be  superior  to  them,  and  to  it  we  look  for  guid- 
ance. We  believe  that  the  Spirit  of  Christ  in  the  soul  of 
every  individual  is  most  efficacious  in  governing  action,  and 
saving  from  sin. 

We  believe  Religion  to  be  a  life  as  well  as  a  helief;  a 
practice  more  than  a  creed. 

We  believe  in  the  baptism  of  the  spirit  of  Christ,  of 
which  water  baptism  is  but  a  symbol. 

We  are  firm  believers  in  the  divinity  of  Christ,  which 
spirit  has  been  always  in  the  world,  manifesting  itself  at 
different  times,  and  in  different  degrees,  and  to  different 
individuals,  but  in  its  fullness  in  Jesus,  making  him  pre- 
eminently the  Son  of  God,  our  elder  brother  and  great 
exemplar. 

As  to  the  manner  of  our  worship  we  believe  in  silent 
communion  with  our  Heavenly  Father,  during  which  times 
of  quiet,  if  the  Spirit  prompts,  we  will  give  utterance  to  the 
Truth,  as  it  has  been  presented  to  our  minds.-*^^ 

A  careful  survey  of  this  clear  and  simple  declara- 
tion of  beliefs  reveals  the  fact  that  there  is  in  it 
scarcely  a  line  which  the  Orthodox  Friends  could 
not  accept  as  their  own;  and  furthermore,  there  is 
scarcely  one  of  their  cardinal  religious  principles 
which  is  here  omitted.  The  chief  differences  which 
now  separate  these  two  religious  sects  are,  therefore, 
not  differences  in  religious  belief,  but  rather  a  mass 
of  traditions  and  a  lack  of  personal  acquaintance. 


Ill 

THE  WILBUR  FRIENDS  IN  IOWA 

The  Wilbur-Gurney  controversy  had  its  origin  in 
the  attacks  made  by  John  Wilbur ^^^  of  New  England 
against  Joseph  John  Gurney,-^^  a  prominent  minis- 
ter of  the  London  Yearly  Meeting  then  traveling  in 
America,  for  unsoundness  in  doctrine  and  for 
making  a  religious  visit  under  credentials  not  prop- 
erly authorized.  The  contention  first  resulted  in  a 
separation  in  the  New  England  Yearly  Meeting  in 
1845.  The  disaffection  then  spread  to  the  Ohio 
Yearly  Meeting ;  and  from  there  it  was  carried  west- 
ward to  individual  centers,  such  as  Red  Cedar,  Iowa. 
Concerning  the  essentials  of  the  controversy  it  may 
briefly  be  said  that  Gurney  undertook  to  emphasize 
the  authority  of  the  scriptures  and  the  necessity  of 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  same;^^^  while  Wilbur 
magnified  the  direct  promptings  and  revelation  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  and  in  addition,  held  that  an  abso- 
lute knowledge  of  personal  salvation  was  impos- 
sible.2^^ 

In  1851  two  brothers  named  Hampton,  both 
Friends,  settled  near  the  present  site  of  Springville 
in  Linn  County,  Iowa.  Soon  afterwards  Joseph 
Edgerton,  Francis  Williams,  Jesse  North,  William 
P.    Deweese,    and   William    P.    Bedell,   with   their 

154 


THE  WILBUR  FRIENDS  IN  IOWA  155 

families,  also  settled  in  the  same  neighborhood ;  and 
at  once  they  organized  a  meeting  among  themselves, 
under  the  direction  of  the  Red  Cedar  Monthly 
Meeting.^ ^*  These  Friends,  nearly  all  from  the  coun- 
ties of  Belmont,  Monroe,  Jefferson,  Columbiana, 
Morgan,  and  Washington  in  eastern  Ohio,-^^  had 
been  intimately  connected  with  the  contentions  then 
disrupting  the  Ohio  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  and 
they  were  generally  in  sympathy  with  the  Wilbur 
element. 

In  the  spring  of  1853,  Caleb  Gregg,  a  recognized 
minister  of  some  force,  likewise  moved  with  his 
family  from  the  same  locality  in  Ohio  to  Iowa, 
intending  to  make  his  home  among  his  former 
neighbors.  Some  of  the  Friends  at  Red  Cedar  had 
taken  an  interest  in  this  new  community ;  and  soon  a 
certain  member  called  informally  on  Caleb  Gregg, 
and  in  the  course  of  conversation  inquired  ^^what  he 
[Gregg]  would  do,  in  case  a  separation  should  occur 
in  Ohio  Yearly  Meeting,  on  the  ground  of  the  New 
England  difficulty.''  To  this  inquiry  Gregg  can- 
didly replied  that  ^^he  should  maintain  the  position 
he  had  taken,  even  if  he  should  stand  alone  ".^^^ 

By  some  channel  this  information  reached  the 
ears  of  the  overseers  of  the  Red  Cedar  Monthly 
Meeting,  v/ho,  feeling  that  the  undercurrent  of  dis- 
content must  be  checked,  planned  to  take  action  at 
once.  A  formal  complaint  was  drawn  up  against 
Gregg  and  forced  upon  the  attention  of  the  Lynn 
Preparative  Meeting,  of  which  he  was  a  member. 
Somewhat  astonished  by  this   extraordinary  pro- 


156  THE  QUAKERS  OP  IOWA 

cedure,  the  meeting  proceeded  to  consider  the  case, 
but  finally  ordered  placed  upon  its  records  the  fol- 
lowing minute : 

We  have  given  close  attention  to  the  subject,  have  heard 
the  Overseers  in  all  they  alleged  against  him  [Gregg],  and 
after  conferring  together  were  united  in  judgment,  that 
there  is  no  just  cause  for  such  complaint,  or  ground  on 
which  such  charge  can  be  sustained.  We  find  that  he  is 
firmly  attached  to  the  principles,  the  doctrines,  and  testi- 
monies of  our  Society,  as  upheld  by  Fox,  Penn,  Barclay, 
and  others  of  our  standard  writers,  and  closely  united  to  all 
our  members  in  the  different  Yearly  Meetings  who  are  con- 
cerned to  support  them.  We  therefore  think  it  best  and 
right  to  dismiss  the  subject. ^i^ 

Disappointed  in  their  first  attempt,  the  overseers 
now  appealed  directly  to  the  Monthly  Meeting;  and 
through  three  of  their  number,  on  August  9,  1854, 
they  presented  to  that  body  a  statement  which  reads : 

Caleb  Gregg  has  manifested  in  one  of  our  monthly 
meetings  and  at  sundry  times  elsewhere  disunity  vidth  the 
body  of  Friends  and  has  endeavored  to  alienate  the  minds 
of  our  members  from  unity  with  proceedings  and  decisions 
of  our  Yearly  Meeting  — ,  Also  in  the  same  meeting  and  at 
divers  times  in  other  places  he  has  manifested  himself  to  be 
in  unity  with  the  separatists  in  New  England  called  Wil- 
burites.  And  at  one  time  in  the  presence  of  several 
Friends  he  explicitly  avowed  himself  to  be  in  unity  with 
the  aforesaid  body  called  Wilburites,  for  which  he  has  been 
visited  by  some  of  the  overseers. 

A  complaint  against  him  for  his  deviations  was  pre- 
sented to  Lynn  Preparative  Meeting  by  some  of  the  over- 
seers in  6  mo.  last  —  but  said  meeting  declined  to  enter  the 


THE  WILBUR  FRIENDS  IN  IOWA  157 

complaint  on  their  minutes;  and  nominated  some  of  their 
members  to  investigate  the  case;  whereupon  one  of  the 
overseers  requested  the  preparative  meeting  to  direct  those 
nominated  to  assist  the  overseers  in  perfecting  the  com- 
plaint if  they  should  find  it  necessary;  but  the  meeting 
declined  acceding  to  the  request  —  And  in  their  last 
preparative  meeting  they  refused  to  enter  any  charge  on 
minute  against  him.^is 

The  Monthly  Meeting  listened  attentively  to  the 
reading  of  these  charges  and  then  relapsed  into  a 
period  of  meditative  silence.  Then  followed  the 
appointment  of  two  committees,  one  to  treat  person- 
ally with  Caleb  Gregg  ^^for  the  aforesaid  devia- 
tions'', and  one  to  visit  the  Lynn  Preparative  Meet- 
ing, there  to  labor  ^'as  ability  may  be  afforded  &  way 
opens  ".^^^ 

When  the  Monthly  Meeting  again  convened  in 
regular  session  in  September  the  reports  of  both 
committees  were  ready;  but  Caleb  Gregg  being 
present  and  ^'refusing  to  withdraw'',  the  presiding 
clerk  called  upon  the  meeting  to  adjourn.  Numerous 
of  Gregg's  friends  were  present  and  confusion 
ensued.  One  elderly  woman  proclaimed  aloud: 
^^Mark  Friends  —  if  you  proceed  in  the  course  you 
are  now  taking,  you  will  be  scattered  as  sheep 
without  a  shepherd  ".^-^ 

Amid  great  commotion  an  adjournment  was 
carried;  and  the  clerk,  gathering  up  his  books  and 
papers,  stalked  from  the  building,  followed  by  the 
main  body  of  the  membership.  The  Gregg  party, 
however,  remained  in  their  seats  until  their  brethren 


158  THE  QUAKERS  OP  IOWA 

had  departed;  and  when  all  was  again  quiet  they 
appointed  a  new  clerk  of  their  own  and  at  once 
proceeded  with  business  under  the  name  of  the  Eed 
Cedar  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  as  though 
nothing  serious  had  happened. 

On  the  following  day,  September  7th,  the  main 
body  assembled  again  without  disturbance.  The 
committee  appointed  to  deal  with  Caleb  Gregg 
reported  him  ^^not  in  a  disposition  of  mind  to  make 
Friends  any  satisfaction";  while  the  second  com- 
mittee reported  that  ^^ further  care"  would  be 
advisable  in  the  case  of  the  Lynn  Preparative 
Meeting.  A  month  later  Gregg  was  summarily 
disowned  and  judgment  was  reached  that  because  of 
its  insubordination  the  Lynn  Preparative  Meeting- 
should  ''be  laid  down  and  the  members  thereof 
attached  to  Red  Cedar  preparative.  "^^^ 

A  few  years  after  this  disruption  (about  1860)  a 
number  of  Wilburites  from  Ohio,  among  whom  were 
Jeremiah  Stanley,  Benjamin  Bates,  and  Evan  Smith, 
and  their  families,  settled  along  Coal  Creek  in  the 
northwestern  part  of  Keokuk  County,  Iowa,  and 
there  built  up  a  prosperous  Quaker  community. 
This  meeting,  together  with  the  meetings  at  Red 
Cedar  (now  Hickory  Grove)  and  Whittier,  near 
Spring-^dlle,  soon  united  to  form  what  is  now  known 
as  the  Hickory  Grove  Quarterly  Meeting,  by  author- 
ity of  the  Ohio  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Wilbur)  Friends, 
which  meets  at  Barnesville,  Ohio. 

If  either  the  Hicksite  Friends  in  Iowa,  or  that 
body  which  separated  from  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting 


THE  WILBUR  FRIENDS  IN  IOWA  159 

in  1877  may  to-day  be  called  conservative,  the 
Wilbur  Friends  here  represented  may  well  be  classed 
as  ultra-conservative.  In  almost  every  particular 
and  to  the  minutest  detail  they  have  succeeded  in 
preserving  the  peculiarities,  not  to  say  the  eccen- 
tricities, of  Quakerism  as  it  appeared  three-quarters 
of  a  century  ago.  Now  numbering  some  seven 
hundred  in  all,  in  spite  of  the  changes  which  have 
taken  place  about  them  on  every  side,  they  have  been 
able  to  maintain  the  integrity  of  their  organization 
to  a  remarkable  degree.  While  scarcely  any  mem- 
bers have  been  added  from  the  outside  for  more  than 
a  generation,  and  while  death  and  resignation  have 
removed  some,  still  through  births  within  the  organ- 
ization their  membership  has  remained  about 
stationary. 

Although  almost  identical  in  religious  and  dis- 
ciplinary beliefs  with  their  Conservative  brethren  of 
the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting,  and  although  repeatedly 
encouraged  to  unite  with  that  body,  still  the  Wilbur 
Friends  have  refused  to  do  so  officially. ^^^  They 
attend  the  Conservative  Yearly  Meeting,  serve  on  its 
committees,  and  take  part  in  its  deliberations,  but  in 
reality  they  do  not  belong  to  it.  On  Sunday  morning 
members  of  the  Conservative  body  drive  from  the 
vicinity  of  Hickory  Grove  to  their  little  meeting  in 
West  Branch,  and  in  turn  numbers  of  the  Wilburites 
drive  some  two  miles  from  West  Branch  over  the 
same  road  to  their  small  meeting  at  Hickory  Grove, 
greeting  each  other  kindly  as  they  pass,  but  holding 
aloof  from  union. 


160  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

The  true  spirit  of  this  interesting  and  con- 
scientious religious  sect  has  been  well  shown  in  their 
management  of  "Scattergood  Boarding  SchooP', 
owned  and  controlled  by  the  Hickory  Grove  Quar- 
terly Meeting.  The  school,  discontinued  in  1913,  was 
situated  in  the  open  country  about  two  and  one-half 
miles  southeast  of  West  Branch,  and  was  under  the 
care  of  a  committee  appointed  by  the  Quarterly 
Meeting.  It  was  declared  to  be  ^'intended  for  the 
education  and  especial  benefit  of  members  of  that 
religious  society '^ — this  statement  being  strictly 
construed.  The  management  of  the  institution  was 
turned  over  more  specifically  to  a  Superintendent 
and  a  Matron,  who,  together  with  from  two  to  three 
teachers,  provided  for  all  of  the  needs  of  the  stu- 
dents, numbering  in  late  years  from  twenty  to 
thirty-five.  The  following  quotations  from  the 
catalogue  of  the  school  for  the  year  1909-1910  will 
show  something  of  the  rules  and  regulations  which 
governed  the  institution: 

The  pupils  are  expected  to  attend  meetings  at  the 
Meeting  House  nearby,  and  collections  on  First  Days  for 
reading  the  Holy  Scriptures  and  other  religious  works. 

It  is  requested  that  all  unnecessary  noise,  such  as  whist- 
ling, singing,  or  loud,  boisterous  laughing,  or  hallooing  be 
avoided  by  the  pupils. 

Pupils  are  not  expected  to  take  newspapers  or  other 
periodicals  while  attending  school. 

Finger  rings,  class  pins  and  other  jewelry  should  not  be 
brought  to  the  school. 


THE  WILBUR  FRIENDS  IN  IOWA  161 

FOR  BOYS. 

Two  or  three  suits  of  plain,  substantial  goods;  if  of 
figured  or  plain  goods  the  figure  should  be  small  and  in- 
conspicuous. A  rolling  or  falling  collar  shall  not  be 
allowed  on  either  coat  or  vest;  sweaters,  if  worn,  of  solid 
black  or  brown,  or  grey,  without  cape. 

FOR  GIRLS. 

Three  or  more  suits  to  be  made  of  plain  worsted  or  other 
materials  of  small  figure  and  not  so  light  as  to  require  fre- 
quent w^ashing,  and  made  with  plain  waists.  No  ruffles  or 
unnecessary  trimming  on  any  garment.     Silk  not  allowed. 

The  girls  are  expected  to  part  their  hair  in  the  middle 
and  comb  it  down  plain  and  smooth.  If  ties  are  w^orn,  plain 
colors,  black,  white,  or  brown.  No  useless  ribbons  allowed 
on  any  occasion.  As  head  dress,  a  hood  of  plain  make  and 
color  is  recommended  for  ordinary  use,  and  a  plaited  or 
plain  drawn  bonnet  for  other  occasions.  Hats  are  not  to  be 
worn. 

Pupils  are  tenderly  advised  to  check  the  arisings  of 
pride  in  their  hearts,  and  cherish  instead  a  true  regard  for 
the  truth,  that  no  desire  may  be  fostered  to  imitate  the  ever- 
changing  fashions  of  the  w^orld  inconsistent  with  that 
simplicity  heretofore  enjoined.- ^^ 

Such  a  system  and  set  of  rules,  when  applied  to 
the  younger  generation  seem  strangely  in  contrast 
with  modern  ideas  relative  to  the  government  of 
boys  and  girls;  and  yet,  in  actual  practice  in  this 
specific  instance,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  Wilbur 
Friends  in  Iowa  need  not  be  ashamed  of  the  results 

11 


162  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

produced.  Though  naturally  somewhat  narrow  in 
general  outlook,  what  with  wholesome  food,  exercise, 
and  rural  surroundings,  together  with  their  strict 
application  to  mental  and  religious  training,  it  is 
believed  that  the  young  men  and  women  there 
developed  have  generally  surpassed  in  stability  and 
strength  of  character  the  average  product  of  the 
neighboring  public  schools. 


IV 

THE  CONSERVATIVE  FRIENDS  IN  IOWA: 
THE  SEPARATION  OF  1877 

The  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Conservative) 
Friends,  now  numbering  in  all  about  four  hundred 
members,^ -^  meets  alternately  in  its  annual  gather- 
ings at  Earlham,  Madison  County,  and  at  West 
Branch,  Cedar  County,  Iowa,  usually  during  the 
second  and  third  weeks  of  September.  This  inde- 
pendent body  of  Friends  is,  as  has  been  elsewhere 
indicated,  the  result  of  the  separation  which  took 
place  in  1877  between  the  conservative  and  the  more 
progressive  members  of  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of 
Friends,  principally  upon  the  grounds  of  the  intro- 
duction of  evangelistic  methods  and  upon  the  de- 
parture of  the  majority  from  the  primitive  precepts 
of  the  Society.  This  separation  had  its  counterpart 
in  other  Yearly  Meetings  and  marks  the  last  of  the 
important  schisms  among  the  Friends  in  America. 
The  troubles  which  culminated  in  the  separation 
of  1877  were  years  in  developing.  With  the  rise  of  a 
new  generation  of  Quakers  in  Iowa,  together  with 
the  gradual  loosening  of  the  rigid  bonds  of  custom  in 
many  of  the  Quaker  homes  in  this  State,  conditions 
developed  which  soon  became  intolerable  to  those 
who  stood  for  the  old  order  of  things.    In  the  year 

163 


164  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

1867,  at  the  Bear  Creek  Meeting  in  Madison  County, 
there  occurred  the  first  serious  contest,  so  far  as  has 
been  discovered,  between  these  two  growing  factions. 
In  that  year,  two  Friends,  Stacy  Bevan  and  John 
S.  Bond,  both  ministers  with  minutes  for  religious 
service  from  the  Honey  Creek  and  Bangor  Monthly 
Meetings,  respectively,  stopped  at  Bear  Creek  on 
their  way  to  visit  among  the  Friends  in  Kansas,  and 
there  held  a  meeting.  Of  this  occasion  Stacy  Bevan 
writes : 

We  made  a  brief  stay  at  Bear  Creek  and  held  one  public 
meeting  at  least,  where  the  power  of  the  Lord  was  wonder- 
fully manifested.  Many  hearts  were  reached  and  all  broken 
up,  which  was  followed  by  sighs  and  sobs  and  prayers,  con- 
fessions and  great  joy  for  sins  pardoned  and  burdens  rolled 
off,  and  pressious  fellowship  of  the  redeemed.  But  alas, 
some  of  the  dear  old  Friends  mistook  this  outbreak  of  the 
power  of  God  for  excitement  and  wild  fire  and  tried  to 
close  the  meeting,  but  we  kept  cool  and  held  the  strings, 
and  closed  the  meeting  orderly. 225 

During  the  ten  years  following  this  incident 
'' general"  or  revival  meetings  became  more  and 
more  prevalent  in  various  parts  of  the  Iowa  Yearly 
Meeting.  For  a  time  no  attempt  was  made  to 
control  these  meetings;  but  by  1872,  because  of 
irregularities  and  occasional  disturbances  which  had 
occurred  here  and  there,  a  conviction  had  come  upon 
the  Yearly  Meeting  that  ^'the  time  has  come  for  this 
meeting  to  engage  in  such  a  work,  by  setting  apart  a 
committee  to  arrange  for,  and  have  the  oversight  of. 
General  Meetings  for  worship,  and  the  dissemination 


THE  SEPARATION  OF  1877  165 

of  the  principles  of  the  Christian  religion,  in  con- 
junction with  similar  committees  of  the  Quarterly 
and  Monthly  Meetings. '  ^  This  official  recognition  of 
the  new  system,  so  sweeping  in  its  extent,  aroused  a 
storm  of  opposition  and  marks  the  beginning  of  the 
end  of  unity  in  the  Yearly  Meeting. 

The  four  succeeding  annual  gatherings  of  the 
Yearly  Meeting  which  assembled  at  Oskaloosa 
seemed  peaceful  enough;  but  beneath  the  surface 
there  was  a  growing  discontent  which  but  awaited  a 
favorable  opportunity  to  give  vent  to  its  pent  up 
force.  The  break  came  in  one  of  the  most  conserva- 
tive centers  in  the  Iowa  field,  namely,  the  Bear 
Creek  Quarterly  Meeting. 

Immediately  upon  the  close  of  the  sessions  of  the 
Bear  Creek  Quarterly  Meeting  in  February,  1877,  a 
revival  was  opened  in  the  meeting-house  by  Benja- 
min B.  Hiatt  and  Isom  P.  Wooten,  both  ministers  of 
great  power.  The  meetings  began  on  a  Sunday 
evening,  continuing  with  an  ever  deepening  interest 
through  the  morning,  afternoon,  and  evening  ses- 
sions of  Monday  and  Tuesday.  On  Wednesday 
morning  to  a  crowded  house  the  call  was  made  ^'for 
all  those  who  wished  to  forsake  sin  and  lead  a  dif- 
ferent life  to  come  to  the  front  seats."  Despite  the 
fact  that  of  all  things  repugnant  to  the  Quaker  mind 
mourners  ^  benches  and  religious  excitement  were  the 
worst,  when  the  call  was  made  ^^  about  twenty  arose 
at  once  and  came.  Others  followed,  some  not  waiting 
to  reach  the  isles  but  stepped  over  seats.  Great 
confusion  followed.     Some  who  did  not  come  for- 


166  THE  QUAKERS  OP  IOWA 

ward  were  visited  at  their  seats  where  prayer 
groups  were  formed.  Some  were  praying,  others 
weaping  aloud,  some  pleading,  and  occasionally  a 
stanza  of  a  hymn  would  be  sung. ' ' 

To  those  who  all  along  had  been  displeased  with 
the  revival  methods,  such  a  scene  in  their  quiet 
meeting-house  was  simply  intolerable;  and  in  utter 
astonishment  and  consternation  they  arose  and 
abruptly  left  the  meeting.  ^^One  elderly  woman, 
before  departing,  standing  in  front  of  the  ^mourners 
bench, '  declared  that  the  Society  of  Friends  was  now 
dead,  that  this  action  had  killed  it. ' '  On  the  follow- 
ing day  the  revival  came  to  a  close,  with  a  session 
which  ^'continued  over  ^ve  hours  without  inter- 
mission" in  which  the  ^'feeling  was  intense '\ 
When  the  meeting  broke  up  with  the  shaking  of 
hands  '^some  wept  [while]  others  laughed'';  and  in 
the  midst  of  it  all  a  deep  consciousness  prevailed 
that  a  breach  had  been  made  which  would  inevitably 
result  in  a  separation. 

Three  months  passed  by  as  the  offended  Friends 
cautiously  thought  their  way  through  the  painful 
difficulties  which  now  confronted  them.  On  the  29th 
day  of  May  they  reassembled  at  Bear  Creek  to 
solemnly  consider  the  ^'present  and  sorrowful  con- 
dition of  our  beloved  and  once  favored  society''. 
Under  what  they  believed  to  be  the  guidance  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and  with  an  eye  to  the  future  in  justi- 
fication of  the  course  which  they  were  about  to  take, 
the  assembly  drew  up  the  following  statement  rela- 
tive to  the  conditions  then  existing  in  their  midst : 


THE  SEPARATION  OF  1877  167 

The  prevalent  practice  of  endeavoring  to  induce  de- 
pendence upon  outward  means,  thereby  drawing  away  from 
the  spirituality  of  the  gospel,  and  to  settle  down  at  ease  in 
a  literal  knowledge  and  belief  of  the  truths  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures. 

To  set  individuals  at  work  in  the  will  and  wisdom  of  the 
natural  man  to  comprehend  and  explain  the  sacred  truth  of 
religion  to  bring  them  down  to  the  level  of  his  unassisted 
reason  and  make  them  easy  to  the  flesh. 

The  running  into  great  activity,  in  religious  and  benevo- 
lent undertakings  showing  an  untempered  zeal  by  taking  up 
one  particular  truth  and  carrying  that  to  an  extreme  to  the 
exclusion  of  other  important  truths. 

A  tendency  to  undervalue  the  waitings  of  ancient 
Friends,  and  to  promulgate  sentiments  repugnant  to  our 
Christian  faith.     .     .     . 

The  introduction  into  meetings  for  worship  much  for- 
mality in  the  way  of  reading  and  singing  and  in  the 
character  of  the  ministry  and  prayer. 

The  manner  in  w^hich  general  meetings  are  conducted, 
leaders  being  selected  to  conduct  the  exercises  w^ho  many 
times  point  out  and  dictate  services,  also  the  introduction  of 
the  mourner's  bench  and  the  manner  of  consecration  the 
disorder  and  confusion  and  ex[c]iting  scenes  attending 
many  of  them  wherein  the  young  and  inexperienced  are 
urged  to  give  expression  to  their  over- wrought  feelings  in  a 
manner  inconsistent  with  our  principles. 

In  a  word,  the  whole  procedure  and  spirit  of  the 
old-time  Quaker  meeting  had  been  overturned;  and 
in  the  process  those  who  stood  for  the  old  order  of 
things  had  gradually  been  displaced  from  positions 
of  authority.  It  was  to  meet  this  situation,  there- 
fore, that  those  in  conference  were  moved  to  declare : 


168  THE  QUAKERS  OP  IOWA 

We  believe  that  the  time  is  now  fully  come  when  it  is 
incumbent  upon  us  to  disclaim  the  appointment  of  all  the 
offices  imposed  upon  us  by  the  nondescript  body  now  in  the 
seat  of  church  government  and  replace  them  by  those  in 
unity  with  the  doctrine  and  in  favor  of  supporting  the 
ancient  principles  and  testimonies  of  our  society. 

So  clear  was  this  declaration  that  no  one  could 
mistake  its  meaning.  Sympathetic  leaders  in  each 
of  the  subordinate  meetings  of  the  Bear  Creek 
Quarter  were  given  copies  of  the  statement,  with 
instructions  to  carry  it  into  effect  as  best  suited  the 
condition  in  their  individual  localities.  On  Satur- 
day, June  16th,  the  North  Branch  Monthly  Meeting 
assembled  for  business,  and  the  project  was  there 
first  launched.  Such  confusion  attended  the  attempt 
of  the  Conservatives  to  displace  the  regular  clerk 
that  in  dismay  they  finally  withdrew  to  the  yard  and 
in  a  brief  conference  decided  to  reassemble  for 
separate  organization  on  the  following  Wednesday; 
while  the  Friends  within  continued  their  meeting  as 
though  nothing  had  happened.  At  Bear  Creek  the 
Separatists,  if  they  may  be  spoken  of  as  such,  took 
the  precaution  to  assemble  separately  from  their 
brethren,  and  at  the  schoolhouse  on  June  30tli  they 
organized  an  independent  Monthly  Meeting.  At 
Summit  Grove  a  similar  plan  was  followed  with  no 
attendant  friction.^^^ 

On  August  12th  the  three  Monthly  Meetings  thus 
segregating  themselves  united;  and  when  the  Iowa 
Yearly  Meeting  convened  at  Oskaloosa  on  September 
5th  there  w^ere  two  sets  of  reports  presented  from 


THE  SEPARATION  OF  1877  169 

Bear  Creek,  each  purporting  to  be  from  that  Quar- 
terly Meeting.  The  subject  was  at  once  referred  to 
the  representatives  present  from  all  the  Quarterly 
Meetings  —  Bear  Creek  excepted  —  for  action;  and 
in  their  report  on  the  following  day  they  said  that 
parties  to  each  side  of  the  controversy  had  been 
present  and  made  their  statements,  ^^  which  we  con- 
sidered to  the  best  of  our  judgment,  and  we  were 
entirely  united  that  the  reports  signed  by  Jesse  W. 
Kenworthy  and  Catherine  R.  Hadley  as  clerks 
[representing  the  progressive  sect],  are  the  reports 
of  Bear  Creek  Quarterly  Meeting.''  The  represent- 
atives further  suggested  '^that  a  committee  be 
appointed  by  the  Yearly  Meeting,  to  labor  within  the 
limits  of  Bear  Creek  Quarterly  Meeting,  with  a  hope, 
that  through  the  blessing  of  our  Heavenly  Father 
there  may  be  a  restoration  of  the  harmony  that 
appears  to  be  interrupted  in  that  Quarterly  Meet- 
ing.""^  This  recommendation  was  approved  and 
the  committee  was  duly  appointed. 

Those  determined  upon  separation  had  secured 
two  distinct  advantages  by  this  action  of  the  Yearly 
Meeting.  In  the  first  place,  they  had  gained  wide- 
spread publicity  for  their  cause  through  this  treat- 
ment of  their  case  by  the  representatives  from  all  of 
the  Quarterly  Meetings ;  and  in  the  second  place,  the 
refusal  by  the  Yearly  Meeting  to  recognize  their 
reports  and  delegates  gave  them  strong  justification, 
so  they  considered,  for  withdrawing  from  that  body. 
They  accordingly  issued  a  general  call  for  all  who 
were  in  sympathy  with  them  to  meet  in  a  building  at 


170  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

Oskaloosa  which  had  been  secured  for  the  purpose ; 
and  on  September  7th,  under  the  following  minute, 
the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Conservative)  Friends 
was  organized: 

In  consideration  of  the  various  departures  in  doctrine 
and  principle  and  practice  brought  unto  our  beloved  Society 
of  late  years  by  modern  innovaters  who  have  so  revolution- 
ized our  ancient  order  of  the  church  as  to  run  into  views 
and  practices  out  of  which  our  Early  Friends  were  led,  and 
into  a  broader  and  more  self  pleasing  and  cross  shunning 
way  than  that  marked  out  by  our  Saviour  and  held  by  our 
ancient  Friends  and  who  have  so  approximated  to  the  un- 
regenerate  world  that  we  feel  it  incumbent  upon  us  to  bear 
testimony  against  all  such  doctrines  principles  and  prac- 
tices and  sustain  the  church  for  the  purpose  for  which  it 
was  peculiarly  raised  up,  and  in  accordance  therewith  we 
appoint  Zimri  Horner  clerk  for  the  day. 

Thus  arose  the  Separation  of  1877  which  was 
soon  to  complete  itself  by  spreading  into  two  addi- 
tional Quarterly  Meetings  in  Iowa. 


THE  CONSERVATIVE  FRIENDS  IN  IOWA: 
SEPARATION  AT  SALEM  AND  SPRINGDALE 

Upon  the  adjournment  of  the  two  rival  Yearly 
Meetings  at  Oskaloosa,  the  Friends  in  attendance 
returned  to  their  homes  in  all  parts  of  Iowa  and 
related  the  story  of  what  had  transpired.  For  days 
and  weeks  in  almost  every  Quaker  home  in  Iowa 
separation  was  the  common  topic  of  discussion. 
Many  there  were  who  had  long  felt  dissatisfied  with 
the  course  affairs  had  for  years  been  taking  but  who 
still  were  not  ready  to  break  from  the  meetings  they 
loved ;  while  there  were  others  who  were  led  at  once 
to  aid  in  promoting  the  separation. 

At  Salem,  naturally  a  strong  center  of  con- 
servatism, a  separation  was  not  long  in  being 
effected.  Side  by  side  in  the  minutes  of  the  Salem 
Monthly  Meeting  for  August  2,  1879,  it  is  recorded 
that  meetings  were  being  held  in  the  surrounding 
country  by  the  students  of  Whittier  College,  and  that 
^^  about  20  of  our  senior  members  who  neglected 
Mtgs.  for  a  year  or  more  and  manifested  their  dis- 
unity with  the  Church  at  large  organized  a  separate 
society  under  the  name  of  *  Friends'  ''.^^^  In  the 
same  month  the  report  sent  to  the  Quarterly  Meeting 
from  Pilot  Grove  gave  notice  that  forty-three  of  its 

171 


172  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

members  had  withdrawn  and  established  a  separate 
meeting.^-'-^  Under  the  leadership  of  such  men 
as  Peter  Hobson,  Ephraim  B.  Ratliff,  Thomas 
Nicholson,  James  Pickard,  John  R.  Brown,  and 
Mathew  Trueblood  a  new  Salem  Quarterly  Meeting 
was  organized  and  a  report  was  made  to  the  Iowa 
Yearly  Meeting  of  (Conservative)  Friends  in  1879. 
Separation  next  appeared  in  the  Springdale  and 
West  Branch  neighborhoods;  and  although  slow  in 
its  development,  it  proved  to  be  unique  both  in  the 
manner  in  which  it  took  place  and  in  the  way  in 
which  it  has  since  persisted.  The  first  recorded 
evidence  of  the  rising  discontent  at  Springdale  is  to 
be  found  in  the  resignation  from  membership  of 
Thomas  Montgomery,  a  prominent  and  influential 
member  of  that  meeting.  The  manner  in  which  he 
met  the  committee  appointed  by  the  Monthly  Meet- 
ing to  treat  with  him  on  the  subject  illustrates  well 
the  spirit  in  which  the  whole  separation  was  con- 
ducted in  this  Quarter,  much  in  contrast  to  the  more 
violent  scenes  that  transpired  at  both  Bear  Creek 
and  Salem.  The  report  of  the  committee  rendered 
on  May  21,  1881,  reads : 

We  have  had  an  interview  with  Thos.  Montgomery  on 
the  subject  of  his  resignation,  in  which  he  gave  us  in  a  kind 
Christian  spirit,  the  reasons  for  the  step  he  has  taken.  As 
chief  among  these  reasons  he  mentioned  changes  in  our 
manner  of  worship,  which  seem  to  him  to  be  gaining  ground, 
such  as  singing  from  books  &  in  companies;  &  the  practice 
of  calling  on  one  another  to  pray,  &  responding  to  such 
calls,  in  public,  which  he  spoke  of  as  admitted  &  practiced 


SEPARATION  AT  SALEM  AND  SPRINGDALE  173 

by  ministers  &  others  among  us.  Regarding  such  practices 
as  inconsistent  with  the  doctrines  of  Early  Friends,  while 
expressing  w^arm  attachment  to  our  ancient  principles  &  to 
his  neighbors  &  friends,  he  is  best  satisfied  to  release  him- 
self from  responsibility  for  these  things  by  withdrawing 
from  membership  with  us.^^^ 

At  West  Branch,  near  Springdale,  Archibald 
Crosbie,  Clarkson  T.  Penrose,  and  Jesse  Negus  led 
the  movement  looking  towards  separation.  Those 
who  were  among  the  discontented  met  on  January  1, 
1883,  and  organized  an  independent  meeting,  ar- 
ranging for  the  use  of  the  Baptist  church  as  their 
future  place  of  meetingr^^  It  was  not  until  April 
21st,  however,  that  cognizance  was  taken  of  the  fact; 
when  the  West  Branch  Preparative  Meeting  com- 
plained to  the  Springdale  Monthly  Meeting  of  the 
first  two  persons  named  above  for  assisting  ^4n 
setting  up  a  meeting  for  worship  contrary  to  our 
discipline. '^^^^ 

In  the  Baptist  church  this  growing  group  of 
Quakers  devoted  to  the  principles  of  their  ancient 
faith,  continued  to  meet  Sunday  after  Sunday  during 
the  spring  and  summer  months,  entirely  independent 
of,  and  out  of  touch  with,  any  other  organized 
religious  body  in  Iowa.  Conscious  of  their  isolated 
position  four  of  their  number  attended  the  Yearly 
Meeting  of  (Conservative)  Friends  held  at  North 
Branch,  Iowa,  in  the  fall  of  1883  for  the  purpose  of 
feeling  their  way  towards  a  union  with  them.  So 
hearty  was  the  welcome  which  they  received  and  so 
congenial  were  the  conditions  which  they  found  there 


174  THE  QUAKERS  OP  IOWA 

that  when  they  returned  to  their  friends  at  West 
Branch  it  was  with  the  recommendation  that  such  a 
union  be  perfected  at  the  earliest  possible  time. 
Action  was  taken  accordingly,  and  when  the  Iowa 
Yearly  Meeting  of  (Conservative)  Friends  convened 
in  1884  there  appeared  a  new  Quarterly  Meeting 
upon  its  roll,  namely,  Springdale  (now  known  as  the 
West  Branch  Quarterly  Meeting),  with  Jesse  Negus, 
Clarkson  T.  Penrose,  Abram  Wilson,  James  Hawley, 
Erick  Knudson,  and  James  Hadley  as  its  repre- 
sentatives.^^^ 


VI 

THE  NORWEGIAN  FRIENDS  IN  IOWA 

Along  the  southeastern  border  of  Marshall  County, 
in  Le  Grand  Township,  and  almost  mid-way  between 
the  railway  stations  of  Le  Grand  on  the  Chicago  and 
North-western,  Dunbar  on  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee, 
and  St.  Paul,  and  Dillon  on  the  Minneapolis  and  St. 
Louis  railroads,  there  is  one  of  the  most  unique  and 
interesting  Quaker  settlements  in  Iowa.  It  is  the 
Norwegian  community  bearing  the  name  Stavanger. 
The  first  of  these  Friends  from  the  land  of  the 
midnight  sun  to  appear  in  Iowa  came  with  a  group 
of  their  fellow-countrymen,  who  founded  the  settle- 
ment of  Sugar  Creek,  Lee  County,  in  1840.  Soon, 
however,  a  dissension  arose  in  the  settlement.  Some 
of  the  company  adopted  the  Mormon  faith,  then 
spreading  in  the  southeastern  corner  of  Iowa ;  while 
the  Quaker  members  of  the  settlement  moved  north- 
ward into  Henry  County,  near  Salem,  and  there 
built  a  Norse  meeting-house  for  their  use  on  the 
farm  of  Omund  Olson  in  1842. ^^^  Free  from  the 
ecclesiastical  oppression  and  compulsory  military 
service  of  the  home-land,  and  from  contentions 
among  themselves  over  religious  differences,  they 
lived  here  in  peace  and  plenty  for  a  time.  Before 
long,  however,  the  rigor  of  long  winters  was  missed, 

175 


176  THE  QUAKERS  OP  IOWA 

the  news  of  better  and  cheaper  lands  to  the  north- 
ward came  to  their  ears,  and  once  again  they  moved 
on  to  build  new  homes  and  settlements,  leaving 
Sugar  Creek  to  decline  and  disappear. 

The  first  of  these  Norwegian  Friends  to  find  their 
way  to  Marshall  County  were  Soren  and  Anna 
Oleson.  Having  made  the  acquaintance  at  Salem  of 
Thomas  McCool  and  his  wife,  Julia  Ann  (a  minister 
of  prominence  in  the  Society  of  Friends),  both  of 
whom  were  much  away  from  home  in  their  religious 
travels,  the  Olesons  were  induced  to  take  charge  of 
the  McCool  farm  in  Marshall  County,  near  LeGrand. 
They  moved  there  in  1858,  and  found  a  climate  that 
was  delightful  and  a  soil  surpassed  in  fertility  by 
none  in  Iowa.  They  early  purchased  a  small  tract  of 
land  and  then  sent  word  to  their  friends  concerning 
their  attractive  new  home.^^^  Within  a  year  an  old 
neighbor,  Thore  Heggem,  came  with  his  family  direct 
from  Norway  and  settled  to  the  south  of  Le  Grand. 
In  1861  Christian  Gimre  came  with  his  family  from 
Wisconsin;  while  in  1864  Mathias  Huseboe  and 
family,  together  with  a  number  of  young  people, 
came  from  Norway  and  settled  in  the  neighbor- 
hood.-^^ Thus  began  the  settlement  of  Stavanger, 
named  after  the  community  in  Norway,  from  which 
most  of  its  members  had  originally  sailed.^"'^ 

For  a  time  the  Friends  at  Stavanger  regularly 
attended  the  recognized  meeting  at  Le  Grand;  but 
being  unable  to  understand  much  of  what  was  said 
in  English,  they  requested  the  privilege  of  holding  a 
meeting  for  worship  among  themselves.    In  1864  the 


THE  NORWEGIAN  FRIENDS  IN  IOWA        177 

request  was  granted,  and  nnder  the  care  of  the 
Le  Grand  Monthly  Meeting  an  *^ Indulged  Meeting'' 
was  set  up  at  Stavanger.^^^  At  first,  as  was  common 
in  the  West,  the  meetings  were  held  in  the  nearby 
schoolhouse  or  at  private  homes.  Later,  about  1870, 
*^an  old  building  was  purchased"  for  meeting  pur- 
poses; and  finally,  this  gave  place  to  the  present 
more  attractive  though  strictly  plain  structure 
which  preserves  all  of  the  primitive  features  of  a 
Quaker  house  of  worship.^^^ 

An  episode  of  peculiar  interest  in  connection 
with  the  history  of  the  Stavanger  settlement  was  the 
arrival  in  1869  of  about  fifty  newcomers  direct  from 
Norway.  In  the  year  1853,  Lindley  Murray  Hoag, 
one  of  the  most  powerful  and  widely  traveled  min- 
isters among  the  Friends  in  Iowa,  had  an  impression 
that  he  should  make  a  religious  visit  to  the  Friends 
in  Norway;  and  in  connection  with  this  impression 
he  claimed  to  have  been  given  a  clear  mental  image 
of  the  place  he  was  to  visit,  though  its  name  and 
location  were  entirely  unknown  to  him.  True  to  his 
inner  promptings,  he  made  the  long  journey.  Upon 
his  arrival  in  Norway,  the  Friends  there  ^^  received 
him  most  kindly,  and  several  of  them,  among  whom 
was  the  able  interpreter,  Endre  Dahl,  went  with  him 
to  all  places  where  Friends  were  found".  Dahl 
finally  informed  him  that  they  had  now  made  the 
rounds,  but  Hoag  did  not  feel  satisfied.  ^^A  map  of 
Norway  was  placed  before  him,  but  that  did  not  give 
him  any  help."  He  became  uneasy,  fearing  that  his 
mission  was  a  failure,  when  suddenly,  looking  out 

12 


178  THE  QUAKERS  OP  IOWA 

from  a  little  window  across  the  mountains  to  the 
eastward,  he  exclaimed:  '^ There,  over  there,  is  the 
place  where  I  must  go."  Dahl  led  the  way;  and 
among  the  mountains,  in  the  valley  of  Roldol,  they 
found  a  people  who,  although  they  had  never  heard 
the  Quaker  message,  responded  eagerly  to  the  simple 
religious  truths  which  fell  from  the  lips  of  their 
strange  American  visitor. 

Soon  after  the  visit  of  Lindley  Murray  Hoag  to 
this  mountain  fastness  in  Norway,  many  of  the 
people  of  Roldol  Valley  united  to  build  a  church  and 
joined  themselves  with  the  Society  of  Friends  at 
Stavanger.  Almost  at  once  persecution  arose  over 
the  questions  of  military  service  and  their  relation 
to  the  priest;  but  rather  than  give  up  their  new 
found  faith,  some  fifty  of  them  banded  together, 
^4eft  Stavanger  in  a  sailing-vessel  bound  for  Quebec, 
Canada,"  in  search  of  a  refuge  in  the  New  World. 
From  Quebec  they  continued  their  journey  to  the 
westward;  and,  ''one  day",  says  John  Marcussen  in 
writing  for  the  Friend's  Intelligencer,  ''all  these 
people  came  to  Le  Grand,  Marshall  County,  Iowa." 
They  had  not  forgotten  their  visitor  from  America, 
and  though  they  knew  but  little  of  the  English  lan- 
guage the  one  word  "Iowa"  was  very  familiar  to 
them.-^*^ 

Foreign  by  birth  and  conservative  by  nature,  the 
Stavanger  Friends  early  found  some  things  not  to 
their  liking  in  the  meetings  to  which  they  were  sub- 
ordinated. In  1871  they  entered  protest  against  the 
"mode  of  raising  money  by  apportionment";-^^  and 


THE  NORWEGIAN  FRIENDS  IN  IOWA        179 

by  1885  so  discontented  had  they  become  with  their 
church  connections  that  they  withdrew  from  the 
Orthodox  body  and  united  with  the  Iowa  Yearly 
Meeting  of  (Conservative)  Friends. ^^^ 

As  unremitting  toil  soon  won  for  this  sturdy 
Norwegian  folk  the  blessings  of  material  success, 
they  set  to  work  to  provide  for  their  children  the 
means  for  a  better  education  than  they  themselves 
had  had.  In  1888  they  submitted  to  their  newly 
adopted  Yearly  Meeting  a  project  for  founding  a 
school  of  advanced  grade  in  their  midst. -^^  The 
Yearly  Meeting's  committee  on  education,  to  which 
the  subject  was  referred,  at  once  took  action.  In  the 
fall  of  1891  this  committee  reported  that  a  two-acre 
tract  of  land  had  been  purchased  for  a  campus,  that 
'^a  building  twenty-six  by  thirty-six  feet,  two  stories 
high,  with  a  stone  basement  for  dining  and  cooking 
purposes''  had  been  nearly  completed,  and  that  a 
school  was  in  operation  with  Anna  Olson  as  matron 
and  Anna  Yocum  as  teacher.  The  expenditures, 
amounting  to  $2,741.25,  had  been  nearly  all  met  by 
subscriptions,  and  there  was  an  indebtedness  of  but 
$81.50.-^^ 

The  new  ^'Yearly  Meeting  Boarding  School"  at 
once  became  popular.  When  the  educational  com- 
mittee presented  its  report  in  1890  there  were  in  the 
Yearly  Meeting  121  children  of  school  age,  thirteen 
of  w^hom  had,  during  the  year,  attended  schools 
which  were  under  the  care  of  the  Friends.  By  1892 
this  number  had  increased  to  128  children  of  school 
age,   sixteen  attending  the   Boarding   School,   and 


180  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

thirteen  attending  other  Friends'  schools;  while  of 
the  146  children  reported  in  1893,  thirty-six  were 
attending  Quaker  schools,  and  the  enrollment  at  the 
Stavanger  school  had  increased  to  sixty-three 
students  for  the  year.^*^ 

No  exertion  was  spared  to  create  for  the  Stav- 
anger institution  a  healthful  religious  environment 
and  a  strong  moral  tone.^^^  For  a  time  it  gave 
promise  of  a  considerable  growth ;  but  with  the  rise 
of  neighboring  high  schools  and  the  removal  and 
death  of  many  of  its  most  ardent  supporters,  there 
has  come  a  marked  decline  of  late  years.  For  the 
academic  year  1910-1911  there  were  but  twenty-one 
students  in  attendance;  and  at  the  Yearly  Meeting 
held  at  West  Branch  in  1912  it  was  a  grave  question 
whether  the  Stavanger  School  should  longer  be 
continued-^^"^ 

To-day,  it  is  true  that  Stavanger  has  lost  much 
of  its  unique  and  distinctive  character.  Many  of  the 
first  settlers  have  either  died  or  moved  away;  while 
a  new  generation,  untutored  in  the  ways  of  the 
fathers,  has  arisen.  But  still  there  is  much  of 
interest  about  the  community.  There  on  the  prairie 
still  stands  the  quaint  little  meeting-house,  sombre 
and  silent;  while  here  and  there  within  the  un- 
pretentious homes  of  this  congenial  folk,  one  may 
find  some  aged  Friend  still  clinging  to  his  mother 
tongue  and  to  the  ancient  customs  of  the  Quakers. 


VII 

QUAKER  CONSERVATISM  AND  ITS  FUTURE 
IN  IOWA 

In  view  of  what  has  been  said  in  the  foregoing  pages 
it  must  now  be  clear  that  unless  some  great  change 
takes  place,  the  Friends  of  whatsoever  branch  in 
Iowa  are  not  likely  to  become  a  numerous  or  influ- 
ential body  in  the  immediate  future.  This  is  an  age 
of  progress.  The  spirit  of  modern  life  has  pene- 
trated to  the  most  secluded  communities.  For  any 
people  to  avoid  contact  with  the  outside  world  is 
well  nigh  impossible  under  existing  conditions.^"** 
Herein  lies  the  struggle  of  the  Conservative  Friends 
in  this  State. 

For  the  most  part  those  who  withdrew  from  the 
Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends  on  the  ground  of 
departure  from  the  primitive  customs  of  the  Society 
were  the  middle-aged  and  elderly  members.  Out  of 
harmony  with  the  free  spirit  of  the  rising  generation, 
they  have  from  year  to  year,  like  the  Wilburites, 
received  almost  no  additions  to  their  membership. 
Almost  every  year  one  or  more  of  their  leaders  pass 
away,  there  is  a  gradual  thinning  of  the  ranks  of  the 
older  member  J,  and  the  attachment  of  the  young 
people  to  the  order  steadily  declines. -^^ 

The  first  serious  blow  to  their  cause  came  in  1891, 

181 


182  THE  QUAKERS  OP  IOWA 

when  in  the  following  words  came  the  request  that 
the  Salem  Quarterly  Meeting  be  closed : 

After  deliberate  consideration  on  the  subject,  we  are 
united  in  requesting  that  this  Meeting  [Salem  Quarterly 
Conservative]  be  discontinued,  and  that  its  members  be 
attached  to  West  Branch  Quarter.  Our  greatly  reduced 
numbers  by  death,  removals  and  resignations,  together  with 
the  remoteness  from  Meeting  of  the  most  of  our  members 
are  the  reasons  for  our  making  the  request.^^^o 

With  the  death  of  their  two  most  prominent 
ministers,  Harvey  Derbyshire  and  Ephraim  B.  Rat- 
litf,  the  spirit  of  the  Conservative  body  at  Salem, 
weak  from  the  beginning,  was  broken;  and  in  re- 
sponse tq  the  above  request  their  meeting  was 
discontinued. 

Among  these  Conservative  Friends  there  is  a 
grave  feeling  of  uncertainty  and  anxious  care  rela- 
tive to  the  years  that  are  to  come.  The  records  of 
their  Yearly  Meeting  in  Iowa  from  1880  to  1912 
seem  almost  wholly  concerned  with  matters  of 
internal  interest.  There  is  little  reference  to  broad 
lines  of  religious  activity,  such  as  home  or  foreign 
missions,  temperance  reform,  the  men  and  religion 
forward  movement,  or  social  service.  Their  roll  of 
meetings  is  annually  called  and  responded  to  with 
little  change.  Epistles  are  received  from  the  Yearly 
Meetings  with  which  they  correspond,  and  these  are 
answered  after  the  accustomed  style.  But  of  the 
world  at  large  and  the  great  issues  of  the  hour  they 
appear  unconscious  and  unconcerned.  They  seem 
little  to  realize  the  great  lesson  of  unprogressive 


QUAKER  CONSERVATISM  AND  ITS  FUTURE  183 

Quakerism,  or  the  truth  of  the  ancient  proverb  that 
^^  Where  there  is  no  vision,  the  people  perish.  "-^^ 

In  conclusion,  it  may  be  observed  that  while  a 
persistent  spirit  of  conservatism  has  led  the  smaller 
body  of  Orthodox  Friends  in  Iowa  into  a  state  of 
stagnation  and  apparent  decline,  a  growing  dis- 
regard for  its  original  tenets  now  threatens  to  leave 
the  larger  Yearly  Meeting  little  that  is  distinctive  in 
character  except  its  denominational  name.  Is  there 
not  somewhere  between  these  two  extremes  a  happy 
medium,  which  would  be  advantageous  to  both !  It  is 
possible  that  the  rising  generation  in  both  sects, 
freed  from  old-time  prejudice  and  imbued  with  the 
broader  spirit  of  the  twentieth  century,  may  find 
sufficient  common  ground  on  which  to  reunite. 
Indeed,  the  trend  of  events  would  seem  to  point  in 
that  direction. 


PAET  IV 

BENEVOLENT  AND  EDUCATIONAL 
ENTERPRISES 


185 


THE  IOWA  QUAKERS  AND  THE  NEGROES 

Among  the  Quakers  there  had  long  prevailed  the 
feeling  that  of  all  ^'the  various  calamities  which 
flow  from  the  ambition  and  cupidity  of  man,  there 
are  few  productive  of  more  extensive  and  distress- 
ing evils,  or  which  give  rise  to  greater  degrees  of 
human  misery  and  wretchedness  ....  than 
the  African  Slave  Trade  "^^^  and  the  great  institu- 
tion of  slavery. 

ON   THE  MISSOURI  BORDER 

Hardly  had  the  members  of  this  religious  sect 
planted  their  homes  upon  the  free  soil  of  Iowa  before 
two  families  arrived  at  Salem,  direct  from  Virginia. 
One  of  these  families  brought  to  the  frontier  com- 
munity an  old  negro  mammy  who  had  for  years  been 
in  the  family  as  a  domestic  slave.  Such  an  arrival 
was  of  course  unwelcome  at  Salem;  and  in  no  un- 
certain manner  and  with  no  waste  of  time,  the  new- 
comers were  made  awar«  of  the  fact,  their  attention 
being  called  to  the  prohibitory  clause  of  the  Ordi- 
nance of  1787.  As  a  result,  a  part  of  the  company 
disappeared  for  a  time,  only  to  return  before  long 
with  ' '  one  beast  of  burden,  and  the  remnants  of  an 
old  store'',  which  they  had  somewhere  received  in 
exchange  for  their  human  chattel.^  ^"^ 

187 


188  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

With  the  rapid  settlement  of  the  Iowa  country, 
its  rise  to  the  stage  of  an  organized  Territory,  and 
the  bitter  dispute  over  the  southern  boundary 
question,^^^  the  troubles  of  the  Missouri  slaveholders 
began.  As  water  percolates  through  unknown 
passes  in  the  rocks,  so  the  news  of  a  possible  escape 
from  their  bondage  in  some  way  reached  the  ears  of 
negroes  across  the  border,  and  raised  within  their 
breasts  the  hope  of  freedom.  Taking  his  life  in  his 
hands,  some  unknown  slave  made  his  way  to  safety, 
then  another,  and  another,  each  opening  wider  the 
way  for  those  who  were  to  follow.  Salem,  but 
twenty-five  miles  from  the  Missouri  line,  and  sur- 
rounded by  numerous  wooded  streams  well  adapted 
for  hiding,  proved  for  the  negro  a  most  advantage- 
ous place  at  which  to  stop  for  food.  The  unfailing 
help  which  they  there  received  soon  became  widely 
known.  Could  he  but  reach  the  town  where  lived  the 
people  of  plain  grey  clothes  and  broad  brimmed  hats, 
the  fugitive  was  assured  of  safety. 

Having  noted  the  separation  among  the  Friends 
at  Salem  on  account  of  the  anti-slavery  agitation,  the 
reader  is  prepared  for  a  recital  of  the  events  which 
transpired  in  that  quiet  little  village.  What  with 
the  heavy  loads  of  human  freight  concealed  within 
hollow  loads  of  hay  or  beneath  grain  sacks  filled 
with  bran,  and  the  strange  proclivity  of  this  Quaker 
folk  for  midnight  drives  to  unknown  mills  or  mar- 
kets, large  numbers  of  fugitive  slaves  were  spirited 
away  to  safety  by  that  mysterious  route  which  justly 
gained  the  name :  ^  ^  Underground  Railway ' '.    Month 


IOWA  QUAKERS  AND  THE  NEGROES        189 

after  month  and  year  after  year  with  Quaker-like 
precision  this  work  went  on  at  Salem  —  not  a  single 
slave  being  retaken,  it  is  said,  once  he  had  reached 
this  community.  The  children  in  the  homes  were 
trained  to  ask  no  questions,  much  less  to  answer  any 
asked  by  strangers.  They  were  supposed  to  have  no 
eyes  and  no  ears  concerning  this  solemn  business. 
Among  the  adults  vague  but  well  understood  terms 
were  used  in  conversing  on  the  subject;  and  while  it 
is  certain  that  this  grave  concern  was  frequently  the 
subject  of  guarded  discussion  in  the  two  Monthly 
Meetings,  still  on  the  records  no  written  reference  to 
the  subject  is  to  be  found. 

Fruitless  were  the  patrols  which  the  Missourians 
kept  on  the  road  to  this  Quaker  center.  At  last, 
stung  by  their  failure  to  uncover  the  nest  of  '^nigger 
thieves '',  they  determined  to  destroy  the  entire  com- 
munity. The  specific  event  which  led  them  to  this 
drastic  decision  occurred  at  Salem  in  1848. 

About  June  2nd  of  that  year,  nine  slaves  owned 
by  one  Euel  Daggs  of  Clark  County,  Missouri,  made 
their  escape  into  Iowa;  and  being  pursued,  they 
were  found  hidden  among  the  bushes  about  a  mile  to 
the  south  of  Salem  by  two  slave-catchers,  Messrs. 
Slaughter  and  McClure.  The  captors  at  once  seized 
their  prey,  and  were  in  the  act  of  leading  them  back 
to  bondage  when  they  were  met  face  to  face  by  three 
stalwart  Salem  Quakers,  Elihu  Frazier,  Thomas 
Clarkson  Frazier,  and  William  Johnson.  One  of  the 
Quakers  demanded  that  the  negroes  be  taken  to 
Salem,  and  there  before  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  be 


190  THE  QUAKERS  OP  IOWA 

identified  as  fugitive  slaves  before  they  be  returned 
to  Missouri;  while  a  second  declared  that  ^^he  would 
wade  in  Missouri  blood  before  the  negroes  should  be 
taken." 

Apparently  there  was  nothing  the  Missourians 
could  do  but  to  comply  with  the  demand,  so  to  Salem 
they  went.  As  they  neared  the  Quaker  village,  the 
strange  sight  created  the  wildest  excitement;  and  it 
is  said  that  almost  as  a  single  man  the  people  of  the 
town  abandoned  their  work  and  rushed  down  the 
road  to  meet  the  approaching  strangers.  In  the 
confusion  that  followed  some  of  the  slaves  dis- 
appeared; while  the  crowd  proceeded  to  the  great 
stone  house  of  Henderson  Lewelling  where  Justice 
Gibbs  had  his  office.^ ^^  The  room  proved  too  small, 
and  by  common  consent  the  trial  was  transferred  to 
the  abolition  meeting-house.  On  the  way  thither 
Henry  Borland,  the  village  school-master,  mounted 
a  pile  of  lumber  and  harangued  the  crowd,  while  all 
about  him  the  shouts  and  threats  of  the  men  were 
intermingled  with  the  prayers  of  the  women.  When 
the  church  Avas  reached  and  quiet  obtained,  Aaron 
Street  and  Albert  Button  came  forth  as  counsel  for 
the  negroes.  The  plaintiffs  were  unable  to  show 
warrants  for  the  arrest  of  their  captives,  and  so 
Justice  Gribbs  dismissed  the  case.  Seizing  the 
opportunity,  and  with  apparent  meaning  for  the 
slaves,  a  member  of  the  crowd,  Paul  Way,  called  out  : 
^^If  any  body  wants  to  f oiler  me,  let  him  f oiler." 
Two  of  the  negroes  obeyed  the  impulse  and  in  a 
moment  were  on  horseback  and  on  their  way  to 


IOWA  QUAKERS  AND  THE  NEGROES        191 

freedom.  Foiled  and  outraged  at  their  treatment, 
Slaughter  and  McClure  made  their  way  back  to 
Missouri,  uttering  threats  of  vengeance  on  the 
Quaker  settlement.^ ^^ 

A  few  days  later  Salem  was  startled  by  the 
approach  of  a  large  band  of  Missourians,  variously 
estimated  from  seventy-two  to  three  hundred  in 
number,  armed  to  the  teeth  and  bent  on  searching 
every  '' nigger-stealing  house"  in  the  town,  and,  if 
necessary,  burning  them  to  the  ground.  The  streets 
were  blocked  and  the  village  surrounded,  while  small 
squads  went  forth  to  make  the  search.  One  of  these 
squads  made  straight  for  the  home  of  Thomas 
Frazier,  the  most  vigorous  abolitionist  in  the  settle- 
ment. Hearing  of  their  approach,  Frazier  hurried 
the  negroes  then  in  hiding  on  his  premises  into  the 
neighboring  timber,  and  when  the  boisterous  gang 
arrived  he  with  his  family  sat  quietly  eating  dinner. 
The  Missourians  came  tramping  in  with  threats  and 
oaths,  declaring  that  they  proposed  to  search  the 
house.  Frazier  quietly  told  them  to  do  so.  Other 
homes  were  entered,  and  where  a  stand  was  made 
wild  confusion  reigned.  Finally  the  Missourians 
abandoned  their  attack  and  made  for  their  native 
State,  having  accomplished  little  either  in  recover- 
ing escaped  property  or  in  frightening  the  Quakers 
of  Salem.25^ 

THE  SPRINGDALE  QUAKERS  AND  OLD  JOHN  BROWN 

Active  as  was  Salem  in  the  cause  of  aiding 
fugitive  slaves,  other  Quaker  communities  as  they 


192  THE  QUAKERS  OP  IOWA 

arose  in  Iowa  were  not  to  be  outdone  in  this  work. 
The  settlements  to  the  northward  in  Muscatine, 
Cedar,  and  Linn  counties  constituted  new  links  in 
the  growing  chain  of  Underground  Railway  stations, 
and  with  Springdale  as  a  center  they  played  a  part 
second  to  none.  All  went  well,  until  one  day  Old 
John  Brown  of  Kansas  fame  made  his  appearance, 
with  results  long  to  be  remembered.  Often  has  the 
tale  been  told,  but  until  now,  not  from  the  Quaker 
point  of  view. 

John  Brown's  connection  with  this  interesting 
Quaker  settlement  began  late  in  October,  1856,  when, 
astride  a  mule,  weary  and  travelstained,  he  rode 
into  the  little  town  of  West  Branch,  halted  before  its 
only  tavern,  ^^The  Travelers  Eesf ,  and  from  the 
proprietor,  James  Townsend,  received  a  Quaker 
welcome  which  until  his  death  he  never  forgot.^^^ 
Learning  of  the  strong  abolition  sentiment  in  the 
neighborhood  and  of  the  activity  of  these  Quakers  in 
the  transportation  of  fugitives  by  means  of  the 
Underground  Railway,  Brown  at  once  realized  the 
advantages  of  such  a  place  for  maturing  the  schemes 
he  then  had  in  mind.  Turning  from  the  scenes  of  his 
exploits  in  ^'bleeding  Kansas'',  plans  were  fast 
forming  in  his  mind  for  another  attack  on  the 
institution  of  slavery  —  this  time  in  the  East. 

A  little  over  a  year  after  his  first  visit  to  the 
Springdale  neighborhood,  Brown  reappeared  late  in 
December,  1857  —  this  time  with  some  ten  com- 
panions-^^ and  for  purposes  which  he  seemed  not 
anxious  to  have  known.    The  men  were  lodged  with  a 


IOWA  QUAKERS  AND  THE  NEGROES        193 

Quaker,  William  Maxon,  about  tliree  miles  northeast 
of  the  village  of  Springdale,  Brown  agreeing  to  give 
in  exchange  for  their  keep  such  of  his  teams  or 
wagons  as  might  seem  just  and  fair.  Brown  himself 
was  taken  into  the  home  of  John  H.  Painter,  about  a 
half-mile  away;  and  all  were  welcomed  with  that 
unfeigned  hospitality  for  which  the  Friends  have 
always  been  known. 

Not  many  days  passed  by  until  suspicions  were 
aroused  concerning  this  group  of  men ;  for  the  word 
was  spread  that  strange  maneuvers,  much  like  mili- 
tary drill,  were  daily  being  conducted  on  the  lawn  at 
the  Maxon  home.  Much  as  these  Quakers  sympa- 
thized with  and  aided  in  the  escape  of  fleeing  slaves, 
there  was  one  thing  they  could  not  sanction:  an 
appeal  to  force.  If  Brown  had  this  in  mind  he  could 
expect  no  sympathy  or  support  from  the  Springdale 
Friends  —  a  fact  which  other  writers  seem  to  have 
failed  fully  to  appreciate.^^^  Some  there  were  of  this 
Quaker  sect,  however,  more  charitable  and  less  sus- 
picious than  their  brethren  who  believed  that  these 
men  gave  signs  of  being  Mormon  missionaries; 
while  John  H.  Painter  and  William  Maxon  alone  had 
any  definite  information  as  to  what  John  Brown 
actually  had  in  mind.^*^^ 

During  their  stay  in  this  pleasant  community, 
many  friendships  were  formed  between  Brown's 
men  and  the  young  people  of  the  surrounding  coun- 
try; and  when  the  27th  of  April,  1858,  arrived,  the 
day  when  these  men  were  to  depart  for  unknown 
scenes  and  adventures,  among  those  who  came  to  bid 

13 


194  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

them  ' 'farewell"  scarcely  a  dry  eye  could  be  seen  — 
though  it  may  safely  be  asserted  that  ''flirting  with 
the  fair  young  Friends"  and  the  kissing  of  "a  very 
handsome  young  school  teacher"  in  "the  con- 
fusion",-^'- as  depicted  by  one  writer  on  the  subject, 
had  neither  place  nor  sanction  among  this  Quaker 
folk  of  sober  mind. 

The  months  passed  swiftly  by  with  only  an 
occasional  line  from  the  men  whom  Brown  had  led  to 
Canada ;  when  suddenly,  and  much  to  the  surprise  of 
the  Springdale  Friends,  Brown  himself  reappeared 
on  February  25,  1859,  with  some  twelve  slaves  res- 
cued from  Missouri.  With  their  usual  avidity,  his 
Quaker  friends  found  hiding  places  for  the  slaves; 
but  fearing  the  approach  of  a  United  States  Marshal, 
Brown  felt  insecure,  and  so  he  departed  in  haste  for 
Chicago  and  Canada.^^^ 

Nothing  more  was  heard  from  Brown  until  the 
middle  of  July,  when,  in  accordance  with  their 
previous  promise,  the  two  sons  of  Ann  Coppoc, 
Edwin  and  Barclay,  received  from  John  Brown  a 
summons  to  meet  him  at  Chambersburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania, at  the  earliest  possible  moment.  Unhesitat- 
ingly they  prepared  to  depart,  and  on  July  25th 
Barclay  Coppoc  said  to  his  mother:  "We  are  going 
to  start  for  Ohio  to-day. "  "  Ohio  ! ' '  said  his  mother, 
' '  I  believe  you  are  going  with  old  Brown.  When  you 
get  the  halters  around  your  necks,  Avill  you  think  of 
mer'2«4 

The  Coppoc  boys  departed,  and  soon  the  affair 
was  half  forgotten.    The  summer  passed  quietly  as 


IOWA  QUAKERS  AND  THE  NEGROES   195 

the  Springdale  Quakers  busied  themselves  with  the 
humdrum  of  daily  cares.  Autumn  had  begun,  when 
one  day  there  came  to  this  peaceful  village,  like  a 
clap  of  thunder  from  a  clear  sky,  the  startling  news 
of  Brown's  attack  on  Harper's  Ferry.  In  the  act  of 
treason  Edwin  Coppoc  had  been  captured  and 
throvm  in  prison,  with  sure  death  staring  him  in  the 
face ;  while  his  brother  Barclay,  pursued  by  men  and 
dogs,  was  fleeing  for  his  life  through  the  Pennsyl- 
vania mountains.-^  ^ 

Haggard  and  worn  with  his  long  flight,-' '^  with  a 
price  upon  his  head,  and  hunted  by  an  official  with  a 
requisition  from  Governor  Wise  of  Virginia  upon 
Governor  Kirkwood  of  Iowa  for  his  immediate 
rendition  to  justice,^^'"  Barclay  Coppoc  reached  his 
home  in  Iowa  on  December  ITth.^^^  On  the  day  be- 
fore, his  brother  Edwin,  loaded  with  chains  and 
shackles,  had  yielded  up  his  life  upon  a  Virginia 
scaffold.  Thus  the  mother's  parting  prophecy  was 
fulfilled. 

When  it  had  become  clear  what  had  actually 
transpired  in  their  midst,  the  Friends  at  Springdale 
made  haste  to  state  their  position.  On  November 
9th,  three  weeks  after  the  disastrous  raid  on  Har- 
per's Ferry,  the  Springdale  Monthly  Meeting  con- 
vened; and  among  its  most  important  actions  was 
the  appointment  of  a  large  and  representative 
committee 2^^  to  investigate  the  report  that  there 
**  appears  to  be  an  impression  abroad  that  Friends 
in  this  neighborhood  have  improperly  encouraged  a 
war  spirit. "-^^     The  committee  at  once  took  the 


196  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

matter  vigorously  in  hand,  visited  each  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Society  who  had  been  connected  in  any 
manner  with  Brown  and  his  men,  and  on  December 
7, 1859,  rendered  the  following  significant  report : 

We  have  endeavored  to  consider  the  subject  confided  to 
us  in  all  its  bearings,  &  are  united  in  the  conclusion,  that 
any  publication  [in  the  way  of  a  defense]  on  the  part  of  the 
Mo.  Mee.  [Monthly  Meeting]  is  unnecessary.  While  we 
believe  that  our  principals  of  peace  were  never  dearer  to 
most  of  our  members  than  now,  w^e  feel  it  to  be  cause  of 
deep  regret  that  those  engaged  in  the  late  deplorable  out- 
break at  Harpers  Perry,  have  been  entertained,  &  otherwise 
encouraged  by  some  of  our  members. 

While  brought  under  a  deep  concern  we  desire  to  estab- 
lish a  forgiving  feeling  towards  those  who  may  have  been 
overtaken  in  weekness,  &  would  tenderly  admonish  all  to  an 
increased  watchfulness  in  the  precepts  of  our  Eedeamer.^^i 

For  the  sake  of  accurate  history,  it  now  seems 
necessary  to  make  plain  the  real  relation  which  the 
much-eulogized  Coppoc  boys  bore  to  the  Society  of 
Friends  at  the  time  of  the  events  in  question.  Early 
in  life  both  of  the  boys  developed  wayward  tenden- 
cies, discomfiting  to  their  mother  and  to  the  church. 
Edwin  took  to  dancing,  and  though  repeatedly  dealt 
with  in  the  ^^ spirit  of  restoring  love''  by  the 
IVEonthly  Meeting,  he  spurned  all  advice,  refused  to 
^ '  condemn  his  course '  \  and  was  in  consequence  duly 
disowned  from  membership  in  the  Society  on  May  6, 
1857.^^^  Barclay,  also,  about  this  same  time  gave  the 
Springdale  Friends  grave  concern.  Fresh  from  the 
stirring  scenes  in  Kansas,^^^  he  had  engaged  in  a 


IOWA  QUAKERS  AND  THE  NEGROES   197 

fight  soon  after  reaching  home,  and  a  month  after  his 
brother's  disownment  the  complaint  was  entered  on 
the  records  of  the  Monthly  Meeting  that  ^'Barclay 
Coppoc  has  used  profane  language,  and  struck  a  man 
in  anger. ''^^^ 

Coppoc  gave  the  proper  satisfaction  for  this  first 
offense,  and  the  meeting  ^^ passed  it  by".  But 
immediately  upon  his  return  from  Harper's  Ferry 
his  conduct  called  for  new  attention.  With  the 
officers  close  upon  his  heels  Coppoc  sought  his  home 
in  Cedar  County ;  and  upon  his  arrival  there  a  large 
number  of  the  young  men  in  the  vicinity  united  as  a 
military  guard  to  prevent  his  capture,  while  he 
himself  went  heavily  armed.  His  presence  of  course 
attracted  wide  attention,  and  the  overseers  of  the 
Preparative  Meeting  called  upon  him.  Action 
seemed  necessary  and  on  January  11,  1860,  a  report 
was  made  to  the  Monthly  Meeting  that  ^^  Barclay 
Coppoc  has  neglected  the  attendance  of  our  religious 
meetings  &  is  in  the  practice  of  bearing  arms."^^^ 
The  usual  care  was  extended  to  him,  but  with  no 
avail.  Two  months  later  Barclay,  like  his  brother, 
was  formally  disowned ;  and  thus  came  to  a  close  this 
interesting  episode  in  the  history  of  the  Iowa 
Friends. 

ORGANIZED  WORK  FOR  THE  FREEDMEN 

The  work  of  aiding  fugitive  slaves,  however, 
practically  came  to  an  end  with  Lincoln's  Emanci- 
pation Proclamation,-"^^  and  so  the  Iowa  Friends 
turned  to  the  freedmen  with  a  view  to  helping  them 


198  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

adjust  themselves  to  their  new  conditions  and 
responsibilities. 

For  years  various  of  the  Monthly  and  Quarterly 
Meetings  in  Iowa  had  maintained  standing  com- 
mittees on  the  welfare  of  the  ''people  of  color",  and 
when  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends  first  con- 
vened in  the  fall  of  1863  strong  efforts  were  made  by 
interested  parties  to  consolidate  this  important  work 
for  the  entire  field.  The  Yearly  Meeting  concurred 
in  the  plan,  and  on  September  11th  appointed  a 
committee  of  nine  members  with  instructions  "to 
embrace  every  opening  for  the  relief  and  benefit  of 
that  much  injured  people  ".-^^ 

The  committee  at  once  took  up  the  work  with  a 
vigor  that  brought  results.  An  appeal  was  issued  to 
every  part  of  the  Yearly  Meeting  for  help,  and 
during  the  ensuing  year  in  response  to  this  appeal 
the  committee  received  subscriptions  to  the  amount 
of  $3,181.74  and  clothing  valued  at  $1,691.90,  all  of 
which  was  despatched  to  the  destitute  freedmen  at 
given  points  in  the  South.  When  the  Yearly  Meeting 
heard  the  report  of  the  new  work  in  1864,  there  was 
great  enthusiasm.  "During  the  consideration  of 
this  important  subject",  reads  the  record,  "our 
hearts  have  been  dipped  in  sympathy  with  the  dis- 
tressed condition  of  our  colored  brethren  of  the 
South  now  being  freed  from  bondage".  Proposals 
were  made  for  the  extension  of  the  work,  and  with 
hearty  accord  the  Yearly  Meeting  now  appointed  a 
larger  and  more  completely  organized  committee, 
termed  the  "Executive  Committee  on  the  Relief  of 


IOWA  QUAKERS  AND  THE  NEGROES        199 

the  Freedmen",  with  the  charge  to  labor  for  "the 
physical  necessities  of  the  Freeclmen,  and  to  their 
advancement  in  knowledge  and  religion.  "-^^ 

While  the  Quakers  in  Iowa  were  thus  inaugurat- 
ing their  new  project,  the  Friends  in  the  East  were 
engaging  in  the  same  work  and  with  similar  enthusi- 
asm. Upon  learning  this  fact  the  Iowa  Executive 
Committee  immediately  combined  its  resources  with 
those  of  similar  committees  of  the  Ohio,  Indiana,  and 
Western  Yearly  Meetings  for  united  effort.  Schools, 
mission  stations,  and  posts  for  physical  relief  were 
opened  up  in  various  parts  of  the  South,  the  Iowa 
committee  alone  contributing  to  the  work  $4,451.19 
for  the  year  1864-1865.  Such  a  united  organization, 
though  not  permanent,  was  of  immense  importance 
in  connection  with  activities  which  were  undertaken 
later. 

During  the  year  1865  it  seemed  best  to  the 
Friends  of  the  western  States  to  again  divide  the 
work,  allotting  specific  fields  to  the  several  Yearly 
Meetings.  Under  this  arrangement  the  work  in 
Missouri  and  Kansas  was  turned  over  to  the  Iowa 
Yearly  Meeting.  The  Iowa  committee  at  once  se- 
cured Isaac  T.  Gibson  of  Salem,  then  a  man  in  the 
very  prime  of  life,  as  the  "General  Agent"  to  take 
personal  charge  and  devote  all  of  his  tim.e  to  the 
work.  This  he  did,  and  with  an  enthusiasm  that  won 
for  the  undertaking  immediate  success.  He  ap- 
pealed for  aid  to  the  Quakers  at  large,  to  the  North- 
western Freedmen's  Aid  Commission,  to  the  railroad 
and  steamboat  companies  of  surrounding  States,  and 


200  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

to  the  negroes  themselves.  From  every  quarter,  and 
with  a  readiness  that  was  almost  beyond  belief,  there 
came  response  to  the  call.  With  the  money  at  hand 
he  began  the  organization  of  negro  schools,  and  in 
his  report  to  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  in  1866  he 
was  able  to  say  that  the  following  schools  had  been 
opened  and  maintained  with  Iowa  Quaker  teachers 
in  charge : 

In  Missouri :  at  Weston,  eight  months,  two  teach- 
ers, 127  enrolled;  at  St.  Joseph,  eight  months,  two 
teachers,  350  enrolled ;  at  Sedalia,  four  and  one-half 
months,  one  teacher,  140  enrolled;  at  Columbia,  five 
months,  one  teacher,  70  enrolled;  at  Springfield, 
eight  months,  two  teachers,  450  enrolled ;  at  Mexico, 
five  months,  one  teacher,  60  enrolled.  In  Kansas :  at 
Atchison,  six  months,  two  teachers,  160  enrolled. 

The  total  number  of  pupils  enrolled  in  these 
seven  schools  was  1367,  and  with  the  scripture 
schools  maintained  on  Sunday,  which  old  and  young 
alike  attended,  the  total  number  of  negroes  reached 
was  over  two  thousand.-^^ 

It  was  difficult  both  to  meet  the  white  man's 
prejudice  and  to  dispel  the  negro's  ignorance;  but 
the  teachers  worked  devotedly  and  the  blacks  re- 
sponded to  a  surprising  degree.  Beginning  with 
A.  B.  C.  classes  the  negroes  advanced  to  the  first, 
second,  and  third  readers,  and  then  to  arithmetic, 
geography,  and  history.  Practical  courses  in  manual 
labor  and  farming  were  introduced ;  and  throughout 
all  these  activities  a  strong  religious  tone  was 
maintained.    With  ever  growing  magnitude  the  work 


IOWA  QUAKERS  AND  THE  NEGROES        201 

went  on.  As  the  State  of  Missouri  gradually  took 
over  the  work,  the  Friends  continued  their  labors  in 
the  public  schools.  In  1871  a  certain  County  Super- 
intendent wrote  the  following  concerning  their 
efforts : 

The  young  ladies  who  came  here  from  Iowa  to  teach  in 
our  colored  schools,  have  all  done  unusually  well ;  they  were 
faithful  as  teachers ;  bore  themselves  well  as  ladies,  and  have 
done  the  black  people  of  this  county  much  good,  and  I  can 
report  nothing  but  unqualified  praise  of  all  they  have 
done.28<) 

In  1880,  due  to  unfavorable  local  conditions,  the 
school  so  long  maintained  at  Sedalia  was  abandoned 
and  a  new  site  was  chosen  at  Parsons,  Kansas,  where 
the  ^^Hobson  Normal  School''  was  established.  The 
purpose  of  this  school  was  the  training  of  negro 
teachers  for  work  among  their  own  people.  Under 
its  first  principal,  D.  W.  Bowles,  the  enrollment  of 
prospective  teachers  reached  seventy-five  for  the 
year  1883-1884.-«i  In  1890,  A.  W.  Hadley  took  up 
the  work  for  which  Bowles  had  given  his  life,^^^  and 
with  the  same  spirit  of  devotion  and  self-sacrifice,  he 
labored  in  this  field  until  his  health  gave  way.  In 
1898  the  school  was  sold,-^^  and  for  a  time  the  in- 
terest on  the  proceeds  was  given  to  Southland 
College  to  be  used  as  tuition  for  needy  children ;  but 
in  1901  the  entire  principal  was  turned  over  to  that 
institution.^*^  Thus  the  work  for  the  freedmen, 
better  known  to  the  Friends  as  the  ^^  people  of 
color",  came  to  its  close. 


202  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

It  is  interesting,  in  view  of  the  long  and  helpful 
relation  which  the  Friends  of  Iowa  have  borne  to- 
wards this  people,  to  observe  that  but  very  few 
negroes  have  ever  been  taken  into  membership  in 
the  Society  of  Friends  in  this  State. 


II 

THE  IOWA  QUAKERS  AND  THE  AMERICAN 
INDIANS 

Fkom  the  year  1672,  when  George  Fox,  the  founder 
of  Quakerism,  began  his  wanderings  among  the 
Indians  along  the  Atlantic  seaboard,-^ ^  until  the 
present  time,  the  Quakers  have  been  the  consistent 
and  abiding  friends  of  the  American  Indians. 
Strange  as  it  may  seem,  something  in  the  untamed 
nature  of  the  red  man  has  always  attracted  the 
Quaker  to  him;  and  in  turn,  something  in  the  atti- 
tude of  the  peaceful  Quaker  has  ever  made  the 
Indian  his  trusting  friend.^^^ 

EARLY  CONTACT  WITH  THE  INDIANS 

Aside  from  their  early  contact  with  the  roving 
bands  of  Indians  in  the  West,  the  first  direct  interest 
of  the  Iowa  Friends  in  ''Our  Red  Brothers "-^"^  ap- 
peared in  1851  when  Thomas  Stanley  of  Salem 
informed  his  brethren  at  the  Monthly  Meeting  in 
November  that  he  felt  led  ''to  go  among  the  Kansas 
Indians  for  the  purpose  of  instructing  them  in  the 
art  of  Agriculture  and  civilization".  Two  Friends, 
John  Hockett  and  Enoch  Beard,  volunteered  to 
accompany  Stanley  on  his  proposed  visit,  as  was  the 
custom;  and  the  Monthly  Meeting  drew  up  a  mes- 
sage which  reads  in  part  as  follows : 

203 


204  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

To  our  brothers,  the  Kansas  Indians,  and  all  whom  it 
may  concern, 

Brothers,  Our  dear  brother  Thomas  H.  Stanley,  believ- 
ing it  required  of  him  by  the  Great  Spirit  to  pay  you  a  visit, 
in  order  to  confer  with  you  on  a  concern,  which  has  for  a 
long  time  rested  with  weight  upon  his  mind ;  of  endeavoring, 
with  your  consent,  at  some  future  time,  to  give  you  some 
instruction  in  the  arts  of  agriculture,  and  civilization,  and 
in  the  doctrines  of  Christianity,  as  way  may  open,  and  as  he 
may  be  enabled  to  do,  and  as  may  appear  right  in  further 
feeling  after  the  mind  of  the  Great  Spirit  ....  is 
fully  united  with  by  his  friends  and  brethren  .... 
and  he  [is]  left  at  liberty  and  encouraged  to  attend  there- 
to.288 

On  the  evening  of  March  27,  1852,  Thomas 
Stanley  and  his  companion  Enoch  Beard  arrived  at 
the  chief  village  of  the  Kansas  Indians  —  Council 
Grove,  on  the  Neosho  Kiver;^^^  and  on  the  following 
day  they  met  the  objects  of  their  mission  in  an 
impressive  council.  In  typical  Indian  fashion, 
silence  reigned  for  a  time ;  after  which  the  message 
from  the  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  was  read  aloud  and 
translated  into  the  Indian  language  by  an  interpre- 
ter. Breaking  the  stillness  which  had  followed  this 
friendly  salutation,  Stanley  then  proceeded  to  ex- 
plain in  detail  the  purpose  of  his  coming ;  in  reply  to 
which  there  came  from  the  Indians  many  speeches 
and  expressions  of  good  will  and  welcome. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  Methodists  had  al- 
ready established  a  mission  station  among  these 
people  it  did  not  seem  best  for  Stanley  at  this  time  to 
remain ;  but  by  the  spring  of  1857  the  way  was  clear, 


IOWA  QUAKERS  AND  THE  INDIANS        205 

and  so,  with  his  brother  James,  he  returned  to  under- 
take a  permanent  work  among  this  tribe.^^^ 

PRESIDENT  GRANT'S  PEACE  POLICY 

The  larger  work  oi'  the  Iowa  Friends  for  the 
Indians  of  the  West  came  some  ten  years  after  the 
Stanleys  had  begun  their  labors  in  Kansas,  and  at  a 
time  most  opportune  for  the  red  men.  The  Indians 
had  gradually  been  driven  beyond  the  Mississippi 
and  on  to  the  westward.^^^  Then  came  the  movement 
to  the  Oregon  country,  the  mad  rush  of  the  ^^forty- 
niners"  to  the  gold  fields  of  California,  and  the 
building  of  the  first  trans-continental  railway.  The 
Indian  saw  the  buffalo  and  other  game  everywhere 
recklessly  slain  or  driven  from  the  prairies;  and 
everywhere  encroachments  were  being  made  on  his 
hunting  grounds.  At  last,  thousands  of  the  tribes- 
men of  the  plains  arose  in  a  desperate  and  final 
attempt  to  stay  the  advance  of  the  white  men.  The 
war-whoop  resounded  along  the  entire  frontier.  At 
once,  from  various  parts  of  the  nation  there  came  a 
demand  for  the  complete  extermination  of  the 
Indian  race  by  the  military  arm  of  the  government. 
It  was  at  this  juncture  that  the  Friends,  with  their 
program  of  peace,  stepped  in. 

On  September  3, 1867,  the  subject  of  the  **  present 
condition  of  the  Indians"  was  introduced  for  dis- 
cussion into  the  ^^Eepresentative  Meeting"  of  the 
Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends.  After  some  con- 
sideration it  was  referred  to  a  committee  composed 
of  David  Morgan,  James  Owen,  Lindley  M.  Hoag, 


206  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

David  Hunt,  Enoch  Hoag,  and  Brinton  Darlington, 
with  instructions  to  report  ''the  result  of  their 
deliberations  to  a  future  sitting".  Two  days  later 
they  produced  the  following  statement : 

After  a  full  interchange  of  views,  we  are  united  in 
recommending  to  the  Representative  Meeting,  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  committee  to  labor  for  the  promotion  of  peace 
between  the  Indians  &  whites,  as  well  as  the  general  pro- 
tection of  the  aborogines  in  all  their  rights,  &  to  encourage 
their  advancement  in  civilization  &  Christianity,  by  memo- 
rializing the  proper  authorities,  or  otherwise  to  labor  as  way 
may  open  for  the  prosecution  of  the  concern.  And  we 
would  suggest  the  invitation  of  all  the  Representative  Meet- 
ings of  Friends  in  the  United  States,  with  which  we  cor- 
respond, to  cooperate  with  us  if  way  should  open  with 
them.292 

Having  already  joined  forces  with  other  Yearly 
Meetings  in  the  work  for  the  freedmen,  the  Iowa 
Yearly  Meeting  in  adopting  this  report  was  but  sug- 
gesting that  the  same  plan  of  action  be  extended  to 
the  work  among  the  Indians.  The  clerk  of  the 
Representative  Meeting  forwarded  copies  of  the 
above  report  to  each  of  the  other  Yearly  Meetings 
as  suggested;  and  the  New  England,  New  York, 
Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Western 
Yearly  Meetings  all  readily  united  in  the  enterprise. 
A  body  composed  of  tw^o  representatives  from  each 
Yearly  Meeting,  and  known  as  ''The  Associated 
Executive  Committee  of  Friends  on  Indian  Affairs", 
was  organized  and  became  one  of  the  most  effective 
instruments  for  accomplishing  a  given  purpose  that 
the  Friends  have  ever  produced*. 


IOWA  QUAKERS  AND  THE  INDIANS        207 

The  bill  then  pending  before  Congress  ''to  re- 
store the  Bureau  of  Indian  Affairs  to  the  Depart- 
ment of  War"^^^  was  most  vigorously  attacked  by 
this  compact  Quaker  organization.  The  Senate  and 
the  House  of  Representatives  were  petitioned  and 
memorialized;  and  the  *^  Associated  Com't  proceeded 
in  a  body  to  Washington  &  obtained  a  hearing  before 
the  committees  of  the  two  Houses  of  Congress". 
The  President-elect,  Ulysses  S.  Grant,  was  called 
upon  in  person  by  a  deputation  of  the  committee  and 
interviewed  on  the  subject.  The  great  warrior  re- 
ceived his  Quaker  guests  with  marked  respect  and 
cordiality.  He  listened  attentively  to  all  they  had  to 
say,  as  they  pleaded  that  he  might  use  his  influence 
for  the  appointment  of  religious  men,  who  in  turn 
would  secure  religious  employees,  so  far  as  prac- 
ticable, for  the  Indian  agencies;  and  then  in  his 
characteristic  manner  he  replied : 

Gentlemen,  your  advice  is  good.  I  accept  it.  Now  give 
me  the  names  of  some  Friends  for  Indian  agents  and  I  will 
appoint  them.  If  you  can  make  Quakers  out  of  the  Indians 
it  will  take  the  fight  out  of  them.    Let  us  have  peace.^^^ 

Of  all  the  departments  of  the  government  service 
the  one  most  honeycombed  with  corruption  for  years 
had  been  the  Bureau  of  Indian  Affairs.  Grant 
eagerly  seized  upon  the  plan  suggested  by  the 
Quakers,  and  upon  his  inauguration  he  turned  over 
to  the  Society  of  Hicksite  Friends  the  care  of  the 
Northern  Superintendency,  including  some  6480 
Indians,  and  to  the  Society  of  Orthodox  Friends  the 
Central    Superintendency    with    twenty    different 


208  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

tribes  numbering  16,379  Indians.-^^  Thus  originated 
Grant's  ''Peace  Policy",  of  which  he  remarked  in 
his  first  annual  message  to  Congress  on  December  6, 
1869:  ''The  results  have  proven  most  satisfac- 
tory. "-^^ 

THE  CENTRAL  SUPEEINTENDENCY 

While  the  Hicksite  Friends  in  Iowa  took  little  or 
no  part  in  the  work  assigned  by  Grant  to  their  branch 
of  the  Society,  the  Orthodox  Friends  in  this  State 
bore  a  share  in  the  new  enterprise  out  of  all  pro- 
portion to  their  numbers. 

The  Associated  Executive  Committee  of  the 
Orthodox  Friends,  to  whom  the  President  turned 
over  the  care  of  the  Central  Superintendency,  at 
once  cast  about  for  the  proper  persons  to  take  charge 
of  the  work.  Enoch  Hoag,  who  had  been  a  leader  in 
the  movement  from  the  start,  a  member  of  the 
Bloomington  Monthly  Meeting  near  Muscatine,  and  a 
man  of  remarkable  ability,  was  chosen  as  Superin- 
tendent, with  headquarters  at  Lawrence,  Kansas, 
and  with  ten  Indian  agents  under  his  supervision. 
Of  the  agency  appointments,  the  Iowa  Friends  were 
given  the  most  difficult  fields.  Laurie  Tatum  of 
Springdale  was  sent  to  the  blanket  Kiowas  and 
Comanches,  about  4500  strong,  located  near  Fort 
Sill;  Brinton  Darlington  of  Muscatine  was  de- 
spatched to  the  Cheyennes  and  Arapahoes,  number- 
ing about  3400,  along  the  Canadian  River  near  Camp 
Supply;  and  Isaac  T.  Gibson  of  Salem  was  given 
charge  of  the  four  thousand  troublesome  Osages. 


IOWA  QUAKEKS  AND  THE  INDIANS        209 

Of  Ms  own  call  to  this  work  Laurie  Tatum  says : 

I  was  living  on  a  farm  in  Iowa,  and  knew  nothing  about 
being  nominated  for  an  Indian  agent  until  I  saw  my  name 
in  a  newspaper  with  others  who  had  been  appointed  Indian 
agents,  and  confirmed  by  the  Senate.     .     .     . 

After  my  appointment  I  soon  received  official  notice  of 
it,  wdth  instructions  to  meet  Colonel  W.  B.  Hazen  at  Junc- 
tion City,  Kansas,  May  20th,  1869,  and  he  would  convey  me 
to  my  agency.  I  knew  little  of  the  duties  and  responsi- 
bilities devolving  upon  an  Indian  agent.  But  after  con- 
sidering the  subject  as  best  I  could  in  the  fear  of  God,  and 
wishing  to  be  obedient  to  Him,  it  seemed  right  to  accept  the 
appointment.-^"^ 

Brinton  Darlington,  however,  was  not  so  taken  by 
surprise.  Intimately  associated  with  Enoch  Hoag 
as  a  friend  and  neighbor,  he  had  served  side  by  side 
with  him  on  numerous  committees  in  furthering  the 
new  plan.  The  following  statement  appears  in  a 
brief  sketch  of  Darlington's  life,  published  in  1872: 

For  several  years  our  friend  felt  impressed  wdth  the 
prospect  that  some  service  would  be  required  of  him  as  a 
Christian  missionary,  among  some  of  the  Indian  tribes. 
The  duty  gvew  into  the  cherished  desire  of  his  heart.  And 
when  at  length  the  door  into  that  field  of  labor  was  set  open 
by  our  Government  to  the  Society  of  Friends,  he  was  ready 
to  offer  himself  to  enter  in,  though  it  should  be  to  lay  down 
his  life  there.2^^ 

Under  interesting  circumstances  Isaac  T.  Gibson, 
the  third  of  the  agents  from  Iowa,  began  his  long 
connection  with  the  Osages  on  September  27,  1869. 
Superintendent  Hoag  had  been  directed  by  the  Com- 

14 


210  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

missioner  of  Indian  Affairs  to  go  to  the  Osage 
Agency  and  straighten  out,  if  possible,  certain  dif- 
ficulties arising  out  of  a  treaty  made  with  the  tribe  a 
year  before.  With  him  he  took  Jonathan  Richards 
as  special  clerk,  Major  G.  C.  Snow,  the  former  agent, 
and  Isaac  T.  Gibson,  the  new  agent.  In  opening  his 
address  on  this  occasion,  for  which  ''nearly  the 
whole  nation  assembled",  Hoag  said: 

]\Iy  brothers !  I  am  happy  to  meet  }■  ou.  I  have  long 
desired  this  opportunity  to  talk  with  you,  but  my  duty  to 
other  tribes  has  prevented  my  being  with  you  till  this  day. 
I  call  you  brothers  because  we  have  all  one  common  father. 
The  Great  Creator  of  all  made  the  white  man,  the  red  man 
and  the  black  man  equal.  He  gave  to  the  white  man  no 
more  natural  rights  than  He  gave  to  the  red  man;  and  I 
claim  from  you  no  rights  and  privileges  but  such  as  I 
extend  to  you,  and  you  should  claim  from  me  no  more  than 
you  extend  to  me.  I  have  long  wanted  to  have  a  plain  talk 
with  3^ou,  and  am  glad  to  see  so  many  here  to-daj^^oo 

After  Superintendent  Hoag  closed  his  speech 
Isaac  T.  Gibson  made  it  plain  to  the  Indians  that  he 
was  their  friend,  saying:  ''I  left  the  plow  in  the  field 
to  come  and  stay  with  you. ' ' 

On  account  of  the  heavy  responsibilities  and  the 
difficulty  of  securing  the  proper  employees  from 
among  the  Friends  the  Associated  Executive  Com- 
mittee undertook  to  stimulate  the  interest  of  the 
Society  by  turning  over  to  the  several  Yearly  Meet- 
ings the  care  of  specific  agencies.  In  1873  the 
subject  was  presented  to  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting, 
which  at  once  endorsed  the  plan,  took  over  the  Osage 


IOWA  QUAKERS  AND  THE  INDIANS        211 

Agency,  appropriated  $800  to  carry  on  the  work, 
appealed  through  the  Indian  Committee  to  the 
membership  of  the  Yearly  Meeting,  and  before  the 
close  of  the  year  received  contributions  to  the 
amount  of  $1251.15.^^^ 

THE  OSAGE  AGENCY 

In  his  last  report  on  the  Osages  before  the 
Friends  took  charge  in  1869,  the  Commissioner  of 
Indian  Affairs  said : 

Osages  number  about  4,000  and  were,  before  the  late 
rebellion,  making  fair  progress  in  civilization,  being  the 
possessors  of  a  large  number  of  cattle,  horses,  and  hogs,  and 
cultivating  fields  of  corn,  and  having  an  interest  in  edu- 
cation, manifested  in  sending  their  children  to  the  excellent 
manual  labor  school  established  in  the  nation  under  the 
Catholics.  But  between  the  contending  armies  they  were 
despoiled  of  their  property,  which  greatly  demoralized  them, 
and  they  are  now  in  a  deplorable  condition.^^i 

Restless,  dissatisfied,  and  pugnacious  as  they 
were  on  account  of  being  shifted  about  from  place  to 
place  by  the  government  and  on  account  of  the  en- 
croachments of  the  whites  upon  their  lands,  the 
Osages  were  extremely  difficult  to  handle ;  but  Isaac 
T.  Gibson  took  hold  of  his  task  in  a  manner  that  won 
the  confidence  of  the  Indians,  and  as  soon  as  a  perma- 
nent reservation  was  located  ^*^^  he  at  once  set  to  work 
marking  otf  fields,  building  houses  and  schools,  and 
laying  the  basis  for  a  successful  agency.  Writing  to 
the  Indian  committee  of  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  in 
1874,  he  declared : 


212  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

The  Osages  have  in  eultivatiou  about  3000  acres  of  land 
on  the  Reservation  where  they  have  been  two  years ;  during 
the  past  year  over  100,000  rails  have  been  split  by  those  not 
used  to  labor,  and  they  have  been  assisted  in  building  about 
fifty  houses,  and  if  no  preventing  Providence,  there  will 
certainly  be  a  much  greater  advancement  the  coming  year 
than  ever  before.  We  have  had  about  one  hundred  white 
employees  to  aid  and  instruct  the  Indians  and  do  the 
Agency  work.  Among  the  industries  are  four  black  smith 
shops  in  different  parts  of  the  Reservation,  a  saw  and  grist 
mill,  shoe  and  harness  shop,  wagon  shop,  carpenter  and 
cabinet  shop  at  the  Agency.  With  these  vast  interests  to 
promote  and  protect,  surrounded  by  3000  Indians,  who  are 
a  terror  to  the  Kansas  border,  no  force  is  used  to  preserve 
order  nor  weapons  carried  by  any  employees  for  defense. 

This  was  in  accordance  with  Quaker  principles, 
and,  as  Gibson  said,  '4t  would  be  difficult  to  find  a 
more  striking  demonstration  of  the  power  of  the 
principle  of  peace. '  ^ 

In  this  same  report  Isaac  T.  Gibson  makes  men- 
tion of  the  ''Osage  Agency  Manual  Labor  Boarding 
School"  with  an  enrollment  of  over  eighty  pupils, 
under  the  care  of  Benjamin  and  Elizabeth  Miles  from 
Iowa,  and  describes  its  workings  as  follows : 

The  children  rise  at  six  o'clock  a.  m.,  make  their  beds 
and  prepare  to  breakfast  at  seven.  By  detail  the  boys 
arrange,  wait  upon,  and  clear  their  table,  have  the  care  of 
the  school  room  and  boys'  sitting  room,  and  assist  in  the 
care  of  their  lodging  room.  By  detail,  the  girls  attend  to 
their  dining  room  duties,  washing  dishes,  sweeping  halls, 
girls'  sitting  room  and  lodging  room.  At  9  o'clock  col- 
lection in  school  room,  singing  a  hymn  by  the  school,  re- 


IOWA  QUAKERS  AND  THE  INDIANS        213 

peating  in  concert  the  Lord's  prayer  or  some  text  of 
scripture.  Bible  reading  by  teacher,  a  short  session  of 
devotion,  then  the  ordinary  school  exercises,  reading  from 
charts,  blackboard  exercises,  recitations,  writing,  object  les- 
sons, oral  instruction  of  various  kinds,  and  gymnastic 
exercises.  Dinner  at  noon.  .  .  .  Collection  again  at  1 
p.  m.  Exercises  as  in  the  forenoon,  except  the  Bible  read- 
ing. Supper  at  5,  children  assisting  in  doing  the  evening 
work.  At  7 :30  again  collected,  singing,  general  advice, 
reading  from  the  scriptures,  and  season  of  devotion. 

By  such  a  process,  in  1875  Benjamin  Miles  was 
able  to  report  -that '  ^  24  Indian  children  are  now  able 
to  express  themselves  in  English,  and  as  many  more 
can  understand  what  we  say  to  them  and  are  be- 
ginning to  talk."'^^^-" 

Year  after  year  numerous  members  of  the  So- 
ciety of  Friends  in  lo^va  have  served  at  the  Osage 
Agency  and  in  other  parts  of  tbe  Indian  country  with 
results  that  have  indeed  been  gratifying.  After  nine 
years  of  most  successful  labor  in  this  great  cause, 
owing  to  the  unremitting  opposition  of  those  ^vho 
disliked  the  Quakers '  peaceful  policy,  together  wdth 
the  personal  hostility  and  interruptions  on  the  part 
of  the  Commissioners  of  Indian  Affairs  under 
President  Hayes,  the  Friends,  through  their  Associ- 
ated Executive  Committee,  felt  it  incumbent  upon 
them  in  1878  to  withdraw  from  the  responsibility  for 
the  superintendencies  wdiich  they  had  assumed,  al- 
though they  continued  to  maintain  their  organization 
to  assist  the  government  in  the  selection  of  agents. •^'^^ 
The  last  of  these  men  to  give  up  the  ^vork  w^as  Laban 


214  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

J.  Miles  of  Iowa,  who  resigned  as  agent  of  the 
Osages  in  1885.  Since  that  time  the  work  of  the 
American  Friends,  and  of  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting 
in  particular,  has  been  centered  about  the  various 
schools  and  private  mission  stations  on  the  Indian 
reservations. 


Ill 

WHITE'S  IOWA  MANUAL  LABOE  INSTITUTE 

In  the  fall  of  1850  Josiah  White,  the  founder  of  the 
famous  Lehigh  Coal  and  Navigation  Company  and 
the  chief  pioneer  promoter  of  the  rich  beds  of 
anthracite  coal  in  Pennsylvania,  visited  the  Indiana 
Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends  with  the  thought  in  mind 
of  founding  somewhere  in  the  West  a  manual  train- 
ing school  where  ^^poor  children,  white,  colored,  and 
Indian"  might  receive  a  religious  education  in 
accordance  with  the  teachings  of  the  Friends.  Short 
of  stature,  corpulent  in  build,  and  dressed  in  the  full 
Quaker  garb,  Josiah  White  was  much  in  evidence  at 
this  annual  gathering. ^^^ 

Wlien  the  purpose  of  White's  visit  was  made 
known,  every  inducement  was  brought  to  bear  to 
persuade  him  to  lend  his  aid  to  the  Yearly  Meeting 
Boarding  School  (Earlham  College)  which  was  then 
struggling  for  existence;  but  all  to  no  avail.  His 
mind  was  fixed,  and  nothing  now  could  turn  him  from 
his  course.  More  than  satisfied  with  what  he  had 
seen  and  heard  of  the  western  country,  he  returned 
at  once  to  Philadelphia,  his  home,  and  included  in  his 
written  will  an  endowment  of  $40,000  for  the  estab- 
lishment and  maintenance  of  two  schools  under  the 
care  of  the  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting,  directing  that 

215 


216  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

^'the  land  for  these  schools  be  bought  where  I  am 
now  in  negotiation  to  purchase,  if  they  can  be,  viz : 
a  tract  one  and  a  half  miles  square  in  Iowa,  near 
Salem  and  a  tract  of  two  miles  square  in  the  Indian 
reserve,  Indiana '\'^*^^ 

Such  a  generous  sum  seemed  for  a  time  to  dis- 
concert the  western  Friends;  and  it  was  with  some 
hesitancy  that  they  accepted  the  trust  with  its 
attendant  responsibilities.  Two  committees  were 
appointed  —  one  for  each  of  the  schools  —  and  in 
1851,  in  the  heart  of  the  growing  Quaker  settlement 
about  Salem,  1440  acres  of  prairie  land  were  pur- 
chased in  a  single  tract  in  the  northwest  corner  of 
Lee  County  as  a  site  for  what  was  to  be  called 
'^White's  Iowa  Manual  Labor  Institute". 

EAELY  YEAES 

The  purchase  having  been  made,  the  Indiana 
Yearly  Meeting  appointed  a  board  of  trustees,  with 
Joseph  D.  Hoag  as  president,  to  look  after  the 
interests  of  the  school.  Fortune  seemed  to  smile 
upon  the  project  in  the  opening  days,  for  in  his 
second  annual  report  (for  the  year  1853-1854)  Hoag 
informed  the  Yearly  Meeting  that  five  hundred  acres 
of  the  prairie  sod  had  been  broken  and  enclosed,  and 
an  orchard  of  six  or  seven  hundred  apple  trees  had 
been  set  out  on  that  part  of  the  tract  designed  for 
the  school  buildings;  while  arrangements  had  been 
made  for  having  five  eighty-acre  farms  with  good 
dwelling  houses  ready  to  rent  by  March  1,  1855."^'' 
Thus,  at  the  outset  the  prospects  were  bright;  but 


WHITE'S  MANUAL  LABOR  INSTITUTE       217 

hardly  had  fortune  smiled  until  disaster  followed. 
With  an  abundance  of  fertile  lands  to  be  had  on 
every  hand  almost  for  the  asking,  satisfactory 
renters  were  not  easily  found;  drouths  caused  a 
failure  of  crops ;  and  the  panic  of  1857  brought  about 
a  shortage  of  funds  for  building.  Finally,  in  1864 
the  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting  proposed  to  the  newly 
established  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends  that  the 
latter  take  over  this  important  trust,  and  after  due 
consideration  it  was  so  arranged.^^^ 

A  new  board  of  trustees  now  took  control.  The 
$8400  worth  of  building  materials  and  the  $2600  in 
funds  collected  by  the  former  trustees  were  put  to 
use  and  the  construction  of  a  two-story  brick  school 
building  seventy-four  by  thirty-five  and  one-half  feet 
in  size  was  begun  in  the  spring  of  1866.^*^^  As  the 
walls  rose  to  completion  and  materials  were  needed 
for  roofing  it  became  clear  that  unless  some  source 
of  revenue  other  than  the  income  from  the  farm  were 
secured  the  building  could  not  be  completed  for  want 
of  means.  In  this  predicament  the  board  laid  the 
situation  before  the  Yearly  Meeting  in  1867  in  the 
following  statement : 

Owing  to  the  extreme  high  prices  of  labor  and  material, 
the  cost  of  thus  enclosing  the  building  will  so  far  exceed 
original  estimates,  as  to  incur  an  indebtedness  of  $1500,  or 
$2000,  which  is  a  source  of  deep  regret  to  us,  and  we 
earnestly  hope  that  Friends  generally  may  feel  the  necessity 
of  carrying  on  the  work  so  nobly  begun  by  our  late  dear 
friend  Josiah  White,  and  cast  in  their  several  mites  into  the 
treasury  towards  the  completion  of  the  structure. ^i*^ 


218  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

But  it  so  happened  that  at  this  time  most  of  the 
Iowa  Friends  were  more  concerned  in  casting  ^' their 
several  mites''  into  the  treasury  for  the  erection  of 
a  new  $16,000  yearly  meeting-house,  and  in  conse- 
quence paid  little  attention  to  the  appeal  from  the 
trustees  of  White's  Institute.  The  trustees  soon 
reached  the  limit  of  their  credit,  and  then,  rather 
than  see  the  entire  project  fail,  they  turned  to  means 
little  contemplated  in  their  appointment  by  the  Iowa 
Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends  or  in  the  will  of  Josiah 
White. 

WHITE'S  INSTITUTE  UNDER  STATE  CONTROL 

With  an  accumulated  debt  of  nearly  $3200,  and 
with  no  available  funds  with  which  either  to  complete 
the  building  or  open  the  school  as  contemplated  by 
the  donor,  the  trustees  of  White 's  Institute  appealed 
to  the  State  legislature  in  1868  for  assistance.^^^ 
For  ten  years  or  more  the  Iowa  State  Teachers' 
Association  had  urgently  called  the  attention  of  the 
legislature  to  the  need  of  some  sort  of  a  school  for 
juvenile  offenders  in  the  State.^^^  When  the  appeal 
for  aid  came  from  the  trustees  of  White's  Institute, 
it  was  suggested  that  the  State  lease  the  property 
and  there  conduct  such  a  school  —  thus  fulfilling,  in 
a  way,  the  will  of  Josiah  White. 

In  consequence,  on  January  17,  1868,  Senator 
John  A.  Parvin  introduced  ^^A  Bill  for  an  act  to 
establish  and  organize  a  State  Reform  School  for 
juvenile  offenders  ";^^^  and  on  January  25tli  Repre- 
sentative Charles  Dudley  introduced  a  similar  bill  in 


WHITE'S  MANUAL  LABOR  INSTITUTE       219 

the  House  of  Representatives. ^^^  Thorough  investi- 
gation of  the  subject  was  made;  and  on  March  31st 
the  proposed  measure  received  its  final  approval  and 
was  published  as  required  by  law.  By  the  provisions 
of  this  act  the  State  of  Iowa  was  to  lease  from  the 
trustees  appointed  by  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of 
Friends  the  buildings  and  grounds  of  White's  Iowa 
Manual  Labor  Institute  for  a  period  of  ten  years  or 
less  for  use  as  a  reform  school,  and  an  appropriation 
was  made  amounting  to  $15,000,  of  which  $2,500  was 
to  be  applied  in  liquidating  the  debt  already  in- 
curred by  the  Institute.  A  board  of  trustees  ap- 
pointed by  the  State  was  to  open  the  new  institution 
as  soon  as  practicable.^^^ 

In  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  act  the 
trustees  met  and  organized  on  April  28,  1868.  The 
board  chose  Senator  Parvin  as  its  president,  M.  A. 
Dashiell  as  secretary,  and  Isaac  T.  Gibson  of  Salem 
as  treasurer.  A  formal  lease  was  entered  into  with 
the  Quaker  trustees  of  the  institution,  and  plans 
were  made  for  completing  the  necessary  construction 
work  as  rapidly  as  possible.  So  marked  was  the 
progress  that  on  September  21st  the  board  an- 
nounced through  the  newspapers  of  the  State  that 
the  Iowa  Reform  School  was  ready  to  open  its  doors ; 
and  on  the  seventh  day  of  October  the  first  boy  to  be 
committed  to  the  institution  came  from  Jasper 
County.^^^ 

In  his  first  annual  report  to  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees (for  the  year  1868-1869)  Joseph  McCarty,  the 
Superintendent  of  the  Reform  School,  reported  that 


220  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

there  had  been  committed  to  the  institution  during 
the  year  forty-six  youths,  ranging  from  nine  to 
eighteen  years  of  age  and  coming  from  twenty-two 
of  the  counties  of  the  State.  Among  the  causes  for 
commitment,  twenty-five  were  for  larceny,  five  for 
incorrigibility,  ^ve  for  vagrancy,  three  for  burglary. 
Furthermore,  the  facts  showed  that  seventeen  of 
these  youths  came  from  homes  where  the  father  was 
deceased,  six  from  homes  where  the  mother  was 
deceased,  ^ve  from  homes  where  neither  father  nor 
mother  was  living,  and  five  from  families  w^here  the 
parents  had  separated.^^^ 

The  rules  inaugurated  to  govern  this  group  of 
juvenile  offenders  were  neither  harsh  nor  rigid.  An 
honor  system  prevailed,  and  in  so  far  as  possible  the 
principle  of  the  ^^ family"  was  maintained.  Aside 
from  the  mental  and  moral  training  obtained  in  the 
regular  school  work,  every  evening  the  boys  were 
required  to  attend  assembly  where  the  scriptures 
were  read  and  prayer  was  offered.  A  Sunday  school 
was  conducted  with  organized  classes;  and  during 
the  year  ten  thousand  texts  were  committed  to 
memory  by  the  boys.  Regular  preaching  services 
were  conducted  by  ministers  from  the  surrounding 
countr}^  or  by  officers  of  the  school.  ^^Many  of  the 
boys",  said  the  Superintendent,  ''have  very  fine 
voices  for  singing,  and  take  great  delight  in  these 
exercises. ' ' 

Though  the  joint  committee  appointed  by  the 
legislature  to  visit  and  inspect  the  Reform  School 
reported  in  1870  unanimously  that  ''the  institution 


WHITE'S  MANUAL  LABOR  INSTITUTE       221 

is  no  longer  an  experiment ;  that  its  adoption,  as  one 
of  the  permanent  institutions  of  the  State,  is  not 
only  wise  but  an  absolute  necessity  for  the  public 
good'V^^  it  early  became  apparent  that  the  site  of 
White's  Institute  was  not  well  adapted  to  the  ends 
which  the  State  had  in  view.  As  pointed  out  by 
Senator  Parvin,  it  seemed  unwise  for  Iowa  to  make 
permanent  improvements  on  land  which  the  State 
could  not  own,  the  Friends  having  no  power  to  con- 
vey title  to  any  part  of  the  property.  The  Superin- 
tendent also  pointed  out  the  fact  that  the  school  was 
not  only  ''down  in  one  corner  of  the  State",  but  that 
the  ''nearest  railroad  point  now  is  about  fourteen 
miles  distant,  Fort  Madison,  twenty-five  miles,  and 
Burlington  and  Keokuk,  thirty-five  miles.  To  all 
these  points  the  roads  are  quite  rough,  and  during  a 
great  portion  of  the  year  very  disagreeable.  "^^^ 

Notwithstanding  these  disadvantages  commit- 
ments to  the  school  increased,  the  number  for  the 
two  years  from  1869  to  1871  reaching  ninety-one. 
Of  the  conditions  then  existing  Superintendent 
McCarty  said:  "We  have  but  one  family  building, 
and  its  capacity  will  accommodate  comfortably  about 
fifty  inmates.  Into  it  are  now  crowded  eighty-five 
boys,  and  still  they  are  coming. ' '  He  further  called 
attention  to  the  fact  that  "the  law  under  which  the 
school  was  organized,  provides  just  as  much  for  the 
reception  of  girls  as  it  does  for  boys ;  yet  for  want  of 
accommodations,  we  have  been  compelled  not  to 
receive  them  when  brought  to  our  door.''^^*^ 

Thus  it  was  apparent  that  the  need  for  extension 


222  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

was  imperative;  and  so,  in  1872  the  legislature 
passed  an  act  carrying  an  appropriation  of  $45,000 
for  a  new  and  more  centrally  located  reform  school 
for  the  boys,  to  be  owned  by  the  State,  and  another 
appropriation  of  $5,000  for  organizing  a  school  for 
the  girls  where  the  boys  were  then  kept.^-^  The 
commission  charged  with  carrying  the  new  arrange- 
ment into  effect,  early  located  the  boys  school  at 
Eldora,  in  Hardin  County,  where  it  still  remains; 
and  in  April,  1873,  they  opened  the  girls'  school  on 
the  White's  Institute  farm,  with  L.  D.  Lewelling  and 
wife,  Quakers  of  Salem,  as  Superintendent  and 
Matron.^-- 

In  his  report  of  November,  1875,  Superintendent 
Lewelling  states  that  since  the  opening  of  the  girls ' 
department  forty-seven  girls  had  been  committed  to 
his  care,  under  the  following  charges  :  incorrigibility, 
fifteen;  vagrancy,  thirteen;  prostitution,  seven; 
larceny,  six;  immoral  conduct,  four;  manslaughter, 
one.  Of  these  forty-one  girls,  the  Superintendent 
declared  that  ^'only  eight  are  of  families  living  in 
normal  conditions. "  ' '  One  little  girl  fourteen  years 
old  with  a  sweet  face  and  gentle  manners"  was 
brought  to  the  institution  as  a  "common  prostitute". 
The  parents  had  separated  and  the  girl  was  an  out- 
cast."-^ Firmly,  and  yet  with  tender  care  and 
affection  these  girls  were  taken  in  hand,  everything 
that  was  possible  being  done  to  turn  them  back  into 
the  healthful  channels  of  society.  The  far-reaching 
results  of  this  important  work,  in  all  probability, 
will  never  be  known. 


WHITE'S  MANUAL  LABOR  INSTITUTE       223 

During  the  years  that  the  State  thus  held  control 
of  the  Institute,  little  was  known  of  the  work  in 
detail  by  the  Iowa  Friends  at  large,  the  annual  re- 
port of  the  trustees  to  the  Yearly  Meeting  concern- 
ing itself  only  with  the  gradually  accumulating 
indebtedness.  As  the  lease  drew  to  a  close,  however, 
and  the  State  applied  for  a  short  extension,  a  new 
interest  was  awakened  among  the  Friends.  During 
the  early  years  of  occupation  by  the  State  extensive 
improvements  were  made  and  the  land  was  well 
tilled;  but  when  the  boys  were  removed  to  Eldora 
less  acreage  was  needed,  and  the  farm,  with  little 
consideration,  was  rented  and  the  property  allowed 
to  run  down.  When  the  Yearly  Meeting's  trustees 
assembled  at  the  Institute  in  the  fall  of  1877  to  con- 
sider the  proposed  extension  of  the  lease,  they 
^ 'found  the  buildings  and  fences  very  much  out  of 
repair,  and  the  farm  grown  up  to  weeds".  Instead 
of  again  turning  it  over  to  the  State  they  '' deter- 
mined to  ask  an  appropriation  from  the  State 
Legislature  of  a  sum  sufficient  to  put  the  farm  in  as 
good  repair  as  it  was  when  leased.  "^^^  In  conse- 
quence, early  in  the  spring  of  1878  the  girPs  depart- 
ment of  the  State  Eeform  School  was  transferred  to 
a  location  about  one  mile  west  of  Mt.  Pleasant,^^^ 
where  it  remained  until  May  25,  1880,  when  it  was 
moved  to  its  permanent  location  at  Mitchellville  in 
Polk  County. -^-^  It  now  became  necessary,  there- 
fore, for  the  Friends  to  make  new  arrangements  for 
the  conduct  of  White's  Manual  Labor  Institute. 


224  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

WHITE'S  INSTITUTE  AS  AN  INDIAN  SCHOOL 

As  soon  as  the  control  of  the  Institute  property 
reverted  to  the  trustees  appointed  by  the  Yearly 
Meeting ^^"  they  had  the  articles  of  incorporation 
renewed  and  amended,  and  then  set  about  to  bring 
the  farm  out  of  the  dilapidated  and  thriftless  condi- 
tion into  which  it  had  been  allowed  to  fall  while 
leased  by  the  State.  During  the  year  1879-1880 
about  a  mile  of  new  barbed  wire  fence  was  built; 
some  ^Ye  hundred  rods  of  hedge  fence,  *^  which  had 
been  long  neglected '^  was  trimmed;  and  an  orchard 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  apple  trees,  thirty  cherry 
trees,  and  fifty  grape  vines  was  set  out.  In  addition, 
the  trustees  paid  off  the  debt  that  had  been  hanging- 
over  the  institution  for  more  than  a  decade,  and  in 
1880  reported  to  the  Yearly  Meeting  that  they  would 
^^soon  be  in  a  condition  to  start  a  school  on  a  small 
scale  in  accordance  with  the  will  of  the  founder.  "-^-^ 
It  was  not  until  a  year  later  that  the  funds  at  hand 
warranted  the  opening  of  the  school.  With  John  and 
Abigail  M.  Fry  as  Superintendent  and  Matron,  the 
institution  started  on  its  new  career  on  the  first  day 
of  October,  1881. 

Two  years  passed  by  with  small  though  encour- 
aging results,  when  there  came  an  unexpected  turn 
of  affairs.  Benjamin  and  Elizabeth  B.  Miles,  who 
had  long  been  in  charge  of  the  Indian  ^  ^  Government 
Boarding  School '^  at  the  Osage  Agency,  resigned 
their  positions,  and  in  1881,  'Svith  the  approval  and 
encouragement  of  the  officers  of  the  Indian  Depart- 
ment [Bureau]  ",  they  opened  up,  at  a  cost  to  them- 


WHITE'S  MANUAL  LABOR  INSTITUTE       225 

selves  of  some  $8,000,  a  '  ^  Training  School  for  Indian 

Children'^  at  West  Branch,  Iowa.    The  project  was 

an  immediate  success,  the  government  paying  to  Mr. 

and  Mrs.  Miles  the  sum  of  $167  per  year  for  the  keep 

of  each  Indian  boy  or  girl  sent  to  the  school.    Soon 

the  requests  for  admission  outnumbered  the  capacity 

of  their  buildings,  and  in  consequence  they  turned  to 

the  trustees  of  White 's  Institute  with  a  request  to  be 

allowed  to  lease  that  property.     So  thoroughly  in 

accord  with  the  will  of  Josiah  White  was  the  request, 

that  the  trustees  unhesitatingly  leased  to  Benjamin 

Miles  and  his  wife  for  a  term  of  three  years  from 

November  1,  1883,  the  Institute  ''school  building, 

barn,  and  480  acres  of  land",  with  the  understanding 

that  the  lessees  were  "to  board,  clothe,  and  educate 

the  eleven  white  children  for  the  use  of  said  building 
and  land. ''329 

The  West  Branch  school  was  speedily  moved  to 
Lee  County;  and  the  rooms  and  halls  of  the  large 
building,  which  ten  years  before  were  filled  with  the 
juvenile  wards  of  the  State,  were  now  turned  over  to 
Indian  children.  The  results  were  indeed  pleasing, 
for  to  the  Yearly  Meeting  in  1886  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miles 
were  able  to  report  that  seventy-five  Indians  and 
thirteen  white  children  were  enrolled  in  the  school, 
and  that  of  this  number  forty-eight  had  made  appli- 
cation and  been  received  into  the  membership  of  the 
Society  of  Friends.-^^^ 

It  was  in  the  midst  of  such  success  that  there 
came  a  disaster  from  which  the  institution  has  not 
yet  recovered.    On  May  27,  1887,  in  some  unknown 

15 


226  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

manner  the  main  building  caught  fire  and  was  com- 
pletely destroyed.  Every  effort  was  put  forth  to 
hold  the  students  together  until  arrangements  could 
be  made  to  continue  the  work;  but  within  a  month 
after  the  fire  there  came  an  order  from  Washington, 
directing  that  all  but  three  of  the  Indian  children  be 
sent  to  Haskell,  the  government  Indian  school  at 
Lawrence,  Kansas.  This  having  been  done,  Isaac  N. 
Miles  and  wife  took  charge  of  the  twelve  white 
children  remaining,  and  in  a  small  frame  building  on 
the  farm  continued  the  school ;  while  Benjamin  Miles 
and  his  wife  Elizabeth,  broken  in  health,  retired  from 
the  work.^^^ 

AN  ATTEMPT  TO  FULFILL  WHITE'S  WILL 

Not  since  the  disastrous  fire  of  1887  has  White's 
Iowa  Manual  Labor  Institute  given  promise  of  any 
real  success  until  within  the  last  few  years.  What 
with  the  continuous  wrangle  of  certain  local  persons 
interested  alone  in  selfish  gain,  the  distance  from 
convenient  markets,  and  the  rise  in  recent  years  of 
first-class  public  schools  and  charitable  institutions, 
the  school  has  had  a  hard  struggle  to  maintain  its 
place. 

Immediately  after  the  Indian  school  broke  up,  the 
trustees  set  to  work  to  erect  a  new  building.  By  an 
extended  lease  of  960  acres  of  the  farm  to  Charles 
and  Matthew  Lowder,  they  received  in  advance 
$3,500  with  which  to  begin.  Isaac  N.  Miles  and  his 
wife  remained  in  one  of  the  cottages  on  the  farm 
with  the   twelve  white   children  belonging  to   the 


WHITE'S  MANUAL  LABOR  INSTITUTE       227 

Institute,  holding  the  school  together  as  best  they 
could  while  the  new  quarters  were  being  constructed. 
The  new  building,  a  two-story  brick  structure, 
though  not  completely  finished,  was  opened  in  the 
fall  of  1888,  with  Silas  and  Mary  T.  Taylor  as 
Superintendent  and  Matron.-^"^  But  the  success  of 
former  years  did  not  seem  now  to  attend  the  enter- 
prise. Gradually  the  number  of  pupils  increased 
from  twelve  in  1888  to  twenty-five  in  1896.  Then 
came  a  steady  decline  until  1903,  when  but  eight 
children  could  be  reported  as  belonging  to  the  insti- 
tution. 

To  devote  a  fourteen  hundred  acre  farm  to  the 
maintenance  of  so  small  a  school  seemed  indeed 
preposterous;  and  so,  in  their  desire  to  administer 
to  the  best  advantage  the  trust  confided  to  them,  the 
trustees  closed  the  doors  of  the  Institute  and  during 
the  year  1903-1904  applied  $1,365.60  of  the  proceeds 
from  the  farm  in  helping  needy  students  to  attend 
other  Friends'  schools  as  follows:  ^^five  at  New 
Providence  Academy,  three  at  Penn  College,  twenty- 
three  at  Whittier  College  and  six  at  Central  City, 
Nebraska.  "^^^  But  certain  disaffected  persons  had 
watched  with  jealous  eye  this  attempt  to  utilize  the 
income  from  the  Institute  farm  in  other  schools ;  and 
with  the  avowed  purpose  of  blocking  the  plan  they 
brought  suit  at  law  to  have  the  trust  taken  from  the 
Yearly  Meeting.  In  connection  with  the  annual 
report  of  the  trustees,  submitted  in  1904,  the  follow- 
ing ^  ^  Original  Notice ' '  confronted  the  Iowa  Friends : 


228  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

You  [the  trustees]  are  hereby  notified  that  there  will  be 
on  file  September  26th,  1904,  in  the  office  of  the  Clerk  of  the 
District   Court   of  Lee    County,    State   of   Iowa,   at   Fort 

Madison,  a  petition  of (names  of  petitioners) , 

claiming  of  you  that  you  as  Trustees,  Superintendent  and 
Manager  of  White 's  Iowa  Manual  Labor  Institute  .... 
created  by  the  last  will  and  testament  of  Josiah  White, 
deceased,  and  claiming  that  you  are  violating  said  trust  and 
diverting  the  trust  fund  and  violating  and  wholly  disregard- 
ing the  trust  created  by  said  will  and  asking  that  you  be 
removed  as  Trustees.  .  .  .  And  that  the  management 
of  said  trust  fund  and  institution,  be  taken  out  of  your 
hands  and  management,  and  out  of  the  hands  and  manage- 
ment of  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends.^^* 

Much  as  the  Friends  have  disliked  to  engage  in 
legal  proceedings,  it  was  apparent  that  a  contest  was 
inevitable;  and  so  the  trustees  were  instructed  '*to 
take  such  steps  as  may  be  necessary  to  safeguard  the 
interests  of  the  heirs  of  Josiah  White,  the  donor, 
and  of  the  Yearly  Meetings. ' '  On  the  grounds  that 
the  plaintiffs  were  members  of  the  Yearly  Meeting, 
and  in  consequence  could  not  sue  the  body  to  which 
they  belonged,  the  attorneys  for  the  Yearly  Meeting 
demurred ;  but  the  plaintiffs  were  sustained,  and  the 
case  came  to  trial  in  the  District  Court  at  Fort 
Madison  in  June,  1908.  Upon  the  hearings  in  the 
case  the  court  gave  as  its  finding  '^that  it  was  the 
intention  of  Josiah  White,  deceased,  to  establish  and 
maintain  perpetually  a  manual  labor  school  on  the 
farm  ....  in  controversy'';  ^'tliat  it  is  a  di- 
version of  the  funds  of  said  trust,  and  contrary  to 
the  intent  of  said  Josiah  White     ....     that  any 


WHITE'S  MANUAL  LABOR  INSTITUTE       229 

of  the  income  of  said  farm  should  be  used  for  the 
purpose  of  paying  the  tuition  of  pupils  while  attend- 
ing or  entering  at  any  other  school  or  institution  of 
learning";  and  ''that  the  defendants  should  [again] 
start  said  school  upon  said  farm  as  soon  as  prac- 
ticable and  as  soon  as  pupils  may  be  obtained,  after 
the  buildings  have  been  put  in  the  proper  condition 
to  receive  them'\^^-^ 

It  was  now  made  clear  that  the  Iowa  Yearly 
Meeting  of  Friends  must,  if  it  expected  long  to  retain 
control  of  White's  Institute,  administer  the  trust 
both  in  accord  with  the  terms  of  the  will  and  to  some 
practical  effect.  That  the  investment  was  sufficient 
for  the  purposes  intended  was  apparent,  for  during 
the  year  1906-1907  the  rents  from  the  farm  alone 
amounted  to  $4,947.47 ;  while  during  the  seven  years 
from  1902-1909,  when  Newton  Branson  served  as 
the  managing  member  of  the  board  of  trustees,  the 
funds  which  accumulated,  over  and  above  all  current 
expenses,  amounted  to  $12,879.90.  To  save  perma- 
nently this  important  trust,  now  valued  at  nearly 
$175,000,  it  was  apparent  that  the  Yearly  Meeting 
must  awaken  to  its  responsibility  in  the  matter,  for 
the  court  had  spoken  in  no  uncertain  terms. 

Fortunately,  at  this  critical  juncture  James  B. 
Bruff,  a  prominent  Quaker  attorney  living  at 
Atlantic,  Iowa,  was  appointed  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  in  1908.  Bruff  appreciated  the 
seriousness  of  the  situation,  was  appointed  president 
of  the  board,  and  took  hold  of  things  in  a  business- 
like manner.    With  a  full  treasurv  at  hand  he  first 


230  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

set  to  work  clearing  away  the  rubbish  about  the 
institution,  and  putting  the  buildings,  schoolhouse, 
and  farm  into  good  condition.  The  main  brick  build- 
ing, so  inadequate  and  ill-adapted  for  housing  both 
boys  and  girls,  was  remodeled,  and  in  addition  a 
contract  was  let  for  a  new  and  up-to-date  dormitory 
for  the  girls,  which  was  rapidly  pushed  to  comple- 
tion. For  a  time  the  money  in  the  treasury  rapidly 
dwindled,  the  disbursements  for  the  two  years  from 
1909  to  1911  amounting  to  over  $21,000.  Then, 
abandoning  his  lucrative  practice  in  Atlantic  and 
with  a  determination  to  make  the  project  succeed, 
James  Bruif  and  his  wife  Jessie  moved  to  the  Insti- 
tute and  assumed  personal  control  as  Superintendent 
and  Matron.  In  this  capacity  their  first  annual 
report  to  the  Yearly  Meeting  stated  that  ^^a  school 
on  the  Institute  premises"  had  been  successfully 
conducted  during  the  year  just  passed  with  twenty- 
four  students  enrolled,  and  that  there  was  ^'a  surplus 
on  hand  after  paying  the  year's  obligations^  of  some- 
thing over  $1,500. ''^^^ 

After  many  years  of  ups  and  downs.  White's 
Iowa  Manual  Labor  Institute  now  gives  evidence  of 
approaching  that  usefulness  and  efficiency  so  long 
maintained  by  its  twin  sister  institution  in  Indiana. 
Thirty-eight  students  w^ere  enrolled  during  the  last 
school  year,  1912-1913.  Ten  of  these  were  day 
pupils  from  the  surrounding  country;  three  were 
enrolled  as  resident  students,  paying  for  the  year's 
board  and  tuition  $100  each;  and  twenty-five  were 
children    under    written    contract    by    parent    or 


WHITE'S  MANUAL  LABOR  INSTITUTE       231 

guardian  to  remain  in  the  entire  custody  of  the 
institution  until  of  legal  age.  Of  these  latter  no  fee 
of  any  kind  is  charged.  They  are  made  to  feel  that 
the  services  rendered  during  the  latter  years  of  their 
stay  will  be  ample  compensation  for  their  care  and 
keep  while  young;  and,  says  the  Superintendent, 
*^this  thought  thoroughly  pervades  the  children.'' 
Here  all  work  together  on  a  common  plane,  the 
drudgery  of  labor  being  lost  in  the  pleasantness  with 
which  tasks  are  assigned  and  done.  In  this,  again 
says  Superintendent  Bruff,  ^'we  have  thus  far  ad- 
mirably succeeded. '  '^^"^ 

To-day  the  fourteen  hundred  and  forty  acres  are 
dotted  here  and  there  with  fields  of  grain  and 
browsing  cattle.  Cosy  farm  cottages  and  a  little 
Quaker  church  nestle  among  the  groves  and 
orchards;  while  in  the  center  of  the  broad  expanse 
stand  the  large  school  buildings.  The  voices  of 
happy  children  are  heard  in  this  healthful  country 
home,  where  under  the  kindly  influence  of  those  in 
charge  boys  and  girls  are  growing  into  strong  and 
healthy  manhood  and  w^omanhood.  Surely  now,  if 
ever,  Josiah  White's  hopes  are  being  realized. 


IV 

MISSIONARY  ACTIVITIES  OF  THE  ]OWA 
FRIENDS 

Closely  allied  with  their  efforts  in  behalf  of  the 
freeclmen  and  the  American  Indians  are  the  activi- 
ties of  the  Iowa  Friends  along  other  philanthropic 
lines,  particularly  their  missionary  work  in  the 
island  of  Jamaica.  After  the  first  appearance  of 
missionary  zeal  among  the  early  Friends  in  England 
it  will  be  remembered  that  a  strange  apathy  seemed 
to  pervade  the  new  religious  order.  This  decline  in 
zeal  continued  until  the  Quakers,  in  the  new  world  at 
least,  ''actually  came  to  find  a  satisfaction  in  the 
thought  that  they  were  not  a  proselyting  people  "^^^ 
and  so  withdrew  from  all  evangelistic  or  missionary 
effort.  But  there  came  a  reawakening.  The 
progressive  or  orthodox  branch  of  the  Society 
throughout  America  heard  the  call  to  world-wide 
evangelization,  and  arose  to  meet  the  call  under  the 
direction  of  the  American  Friends '  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions,  in  the  work  of  which  the  Iowa  Yearly 
Meeting  of  Orthodox  Friends  has  borne  a  prominent 
part  both  with  men  and  means. 

Before  the  Separation  of  1877  took  place  in  the 
Iowa  Yearly  Meeting,  a  so-called  ''Missionary  Asso- 
ciation" had  been  organized  among  the  membership, 

232 


MISSIONARY  ACTIVITIES  233 

with  a  president  at  its  head  and  vice  presidents  in 
each  of  the  several  Quarterly  Meetings.  The  work 
of  the  association  seems,  for  a  time,  to  have  been 
purely  local,  consisting  of  "tract  reading,  temper- 
ance and  sabbath  school  work,  visiting  the  families 
of  the  poor"^^^  and  such  like;  but  it  was  not  long 
until  its  activities  were  extended  to  the  founding  of 
"mission  schools'',  the  "assisting  to  reform  and  find 
homes  for  the  outcast  and  destitute",  and  the  hold- 
ing of  open  air  meetings  in  county  jails  —  a  work 
similar  to  that  carried  on  at  present  by  the  Salvation 
Army.^^^  This  organization  proved  successful  and 
led  to  the  establishment  of  what  was  called  the 
"Home  and  Foreign  Missionary  Board." 

Provided  with  a  minute  for  religious  service  from 
the  Stuart  Monthly  Meeting  and  the  Bear  Creek 
Quarterly  Meeting,  a  minister  named  Evi  Sharpless 
laid  before  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  in 
1881,  "a  concern  that  had  been  resting  on  his  mind 
for  some  years,  to  visit  in  gospel  love  some  of  the 
West  India  Islands,  and  to  labor  there  as  an  evan- 
gelist". The  request  was  heard  in  a  joint  session, 
men  and  women  sitting  together,  and  after  "prayer- 
ful deliberation"  on  this  new  departure  Sharpless 
was  liberated  for  the  service."^^^ 

Those  who  were  acquainted  with  the  early  history 
of  Quakerism  were  well  aware  of  the  role  which  the 
founders  of  the  faith  had  played  in  those  western 
seas :  as  early  as  1662  two  Quaker  ministers,  Ann 
Eobinson  and  Oswell  Heritage,  had  preached  the 
Quaker  message  on  the  island  of  Jamaica,  and  nine 


234  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

years  later  George  Fox  himself  was  there.  By  the 
beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century  it  is  said  that  on 
this  island  alone  there  were  nearly  ten  thousand 
followers  of  the  Quaker  faith.  But  long  before 
Sharpless  or  the  Iowa  Friends  had  ever  dreamed  of 
these  fields  for  personal  service  almost  every  trace 
of  the  Quakers  on  the  island  had  been  obliterated.^"^^ 

Accompanied  by  William  Marshall  of  Bangor, 
Sharpless  sailed  from  New  York  early  in  November, 
1881,  and  after  a  six  days'  voyage  landed  in 
Jamaica.  Marshall  soon  returned,  but  Sharpless  re- 
mained and  itinerated  from  place  to  place,  preaching 
and  w^orking  in  company  with  the  Presbyterian, 
Baptist,  and  Wesleyan  missionaries  on  the  island. 
In  the  spring  of  1883,  however,  he  launched  out  for 
himself,  and  high  up  among  the  mountains  in  a 
temporary  booth  covered  with  green  banana  leaves 
as  a  shield  from  sun  and  rain  he  established  his  first 
Quaker  mission  at  Cedar  Valley. 

While  Sharpless  labored  thus,  Marshall,  at  the 
Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  in  1883,  told  in  such  forceful 
language  of  the  Jamaica  field  that  his  hearers  were 
deeply  stirred.  The  following  resolution,  first 
unanimously  adopted  by  the  '^Missionary  Associa- 
tion", was  in  turn  approved  by  the  Yearly  Meeting, 
thus  bringing  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends 
into  definite  relations  with  the  work  of  foreign 
missions : 

Resolved,  That  in  view  of  the  demand  for  missionary 
work  in  Jamaica  we  feel  that  the  time  has  come  for  Friends 
to  establish  and  support  a  Mission  Station  on  that  island, 


MISSIONARY  ACTIVITIES  235 

and  we  recommend  that  Friends  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting 
consider  it  their  special  field.^^^ 

Among  the  listeners  on  this  occasion  were  Jesse 
and  Elizabeth  R.  Townsend,  two  Friends  living  at 
Iowa  City,  who  had  long  meditated  on  a  religious 
call  to  labor,  as  they  thought,  among  the  Indians; 
but  learning  of  this  open  door,  they  volunteered  for 
the  work  in  Jamaica.  The  Yearly  Meeting  sent  them 
forth,  and  on  December  14,  1883,  they  arrived  at 
their  chosen  field  of  labor.  Sharpless  gladly  re- 
ceived them  at  Cedar  Valley  and  turned  over  to  them 
his  mission  station,  while  he  set  out  again  on  an 
evangelistic  tour. 

In  the  forepart  of  January,  1885,  Sharpless,  for 
a  second  time,  entered  the  home  of  his  friend  Dr. 
Waldron  at  the  extreme  end  of  the  island;  and  on 
the  following  Sunday  morning,  with  hymn  book  and 
Bible  in  hand,  and  with  two  of  the  Waldron  boys  at 
his  side,  he  marched  down  the  long  street  of  the 
village  announcing  his  intended  service  at  the  other 
end  of  the  town.  A  crowd  soon  gathered  out  of  the 
huts  and  from  over  the  palm-clad  hills.  Then,  with 
a  ^^high  moss  covered  rock''  for  a  pulpit,  he 
preached  his  sermon,  and  within  two  weeks  there- 
after, it  is  said,  the  people  had  built  a  meeting-house 
of  ''sticks  from  the  mountains"  and  ''a  roof  of 
cocoanut  leaves'',  and  called  it  Happy  Grove.^^'* 

During  these  years  a  missionary  spirit,  no  doubt 
largely  aroused  by  the  evangelistic  movement  at 
home,  seemed  to  be  developing  among  the  Iowa 
Friends.    Side  by  side  with  the  Missionary  Associ- 


236  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

ation,  the  women  of  the  Yearly  Meeting  organized  a 
Women's  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  on  identically 
the  same  plan,  for  aggressive  missionary  work.  The 
Sunday  schools,  also,  caught  the  spirit,  and  by  1884 
out  of  a  total  of  eighty-two  such  schools  in  the 
Yearly  Meeting  fifty  were  contributing  monthly  to 
the  missionary  fund,  which  collections  for  the  year 
amounted  to  $969.93.^^^  The  Christian  Endeavor 
also  took  up  the  work,  and  with  the  combined 
strength  of  all  these  agencies  the  funds  raised  for 
the  Jamaica  field  rose  from  $2381.63^^^  in  1887  to 
over  $14,000^^^  in  1906.  For  the  entire  period  from 
1883  to  1913  the  Yearly  Meeting  through  all  of  its 
agencies  has  expended  over  $143,000  in  the  work. 

In  1893  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  sent  Gilbert  L. 
Farr  of  Oskaloosa  to  Jamaica  to  superintend  the 
Friends'  mission  stations  and  to  extend  the  work. 
Fortunately,  some  months  before,  Arthur  H.  Swift 
of  Worcester,  Massachusetts,  then  a  young  man  of 
power  and  deep  devotion,  arrived  on  the  island  to 
take  charge  of  the  Seaside  School  and  mission. 
Hand  in  hand  these  two  men  worked,  aided  by  the 
other  missionaries.  Meeting-houses  and  schools 
were  built  and  out-stations  located  at  advantageous 
points.  Moreover,  valuable  properties  were  bought 
as  investments  to  provide  a  means  of  future  sup- 
port.^^^  Through  persistent  effort  the  ignorance 
and  immorality  prevailing  on  every  hand^^^  gradu- 
ally gave  w^ay  and  scores  of  natives  came  into  the 
Quaker  fold. 

Worn  with  ceaseless  toil  and  anxious  to  educate 


MISSIONARY  ACTIVITIES  237 

their  boys,  Gilbert  L.  Farr  and  his  wife  returned  to 
Iowa  in  1903,  leaving  in  the  island  Arthur  Swift, 
who  had  earlier  taken  over  the  superintendency.  In 
that  same  fall  the  Mission  Board  gave  to  the  Yearly 
Meeting  the  following  statement  of  the  work : 

We  thankfully  report  a  year  of  great  blessing  in  the 
Jamaica  work.  There  are  now  569  members  in  the  three 
Monthly  Meetings  [Glen  Haven,  Amity  Hall  and  Seaside] 
—  a  net  increase  of  39  the  past  year.  There  are  1040 
scholars  enrolled  in  the  Sabbath  Schools,  about  200  mem- 
bers, including  Juniors,  or  the  Christian  Endeavor  soci- 
eties, and  over  500  scholars  in  the  day  schools. 

Furthermore,  the  funds  raised  in  the  island  itself 
for  the  work  during  the  year  amounted  to  $1,950.^^^ 

With  that  zeal  which  marks  the  true  missionary 
Swift  grappled  with  his  problems,  inspiring  those 
about  him  to  increased  effort  through  his  own 
example.  In  order  to  bring  about  more  united  and 
more  efficient  work,  a  weekly  council  of  all  the  work- 
ers, both  American  and  native,  was  held  at  Seaside, 
where  reports  from  the  various  stations  were  read 
and  discussed. 

On  Saturday,  June  26, 1909,  Swift  responded  to  a 
call  to  address  a  large  union  missionary  gathering  at 
Morant  Bay,  some  twenty  miles  from  his  home.  For 
many  days  he  had  been  under  a  nervous  strain,  and 
in  his  address  that  day  those  present  seemed  to  per- 
ceive a  peculiar  touch  of  pathos.^ ^^  When  descend- 
ing from  the  pulpit  as  the  sermon  closed,  his  sight 
seemed  to  fail,  a  strange  malady  came  upon  him, 
and  with  all  speed  he  was  taken  to  the  nearby  parson- 


238  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

age,  where  medical  assistance  was  summoned.  The 
word  despatched  to  his  wife  brought  her  to  his  side 
but  two  hours  before  he  passed  away.  ''The  bell 
tolling  in  the  night '',  says  one  writer,  ''was  the  first 
intimation  to  many  of  his  illness.  A  company  of 
Seaside  Friends  started  immediately  to  walk  to 
Morant  Bay.  Four  miles  from  Seaside  they  met 
Mrs.  Swift  and  a  company  of  Friends  from  Amity 
Hall  and  Golden  Grove  who  had  already  joined  her, 
returning  with  the  corpse.  Eeaching  Hector's  River 
just  after  day  light  the  people  thronged  out  of  their 
houses  and  wept  aloud  as  the  company  passed,  many 
following  to  the  mission  yard  which  was  already 
filled  with  the  sorrowing  ones.  All  day  crowds  of 
people  came  from  far  and  near  to  express  their  sor- 
row and  sympathy. "  "  His  death '  %  says  the  writer, 
"has  produced  a  wonderful  effect  upon  people  and 
many  lives  have  been  consecrated  to  God's  service 
as  a  result.  "^^2  The  news  was  received  with  dismay 
by  the  Iowa  Friends. 

It  was  a  sad  council  meeting  of  the  missionaries 
on  the  island  of  Jamaica  on  July  5th.  With  rare 
courage,  however,  "H.  Alma  Swift  supplied  the 
vacant  place ";^^^  and  by  unanimous  consent  has 
continued  to  fill  it,  crowning  the  work  of  her  husband 
with  complete  success.  Under  her  immediate  direc- 
tion as  Superintendent  the  following  missionaries 
are  at  work  at  present  in  the  Jamaica  field,  in 
addition  to  Alsina  M.  Andrews,  Matron  of  the  Happy 
Grove  School  for  girls:  Mary  E.  White,  Sada  M. 
Stanley,  Alice  Kennedy,  Jefferson  W.  and  Helen  F. 


MISSIONARY  ACTIVITIES  239 

Ford,  Lizzie  Allen,  Anna  Sherman,  and  Charles  and 
Anna  Kurtzholz.  The  field  itself,  and  the  various 
centers  with  their  respective  memberships  in  1912 
stood  as  follows:  ^'Seaside,  711;  Amity  Hall,  278; 
Orange  Bay,  73 ;  Glen  Haven,  126 ;  Annotto  Bay,  68 ; 
Middle  Quarter,  83;  St.  Maria,  21;  total,  1360. ''^^^ 

While  the  Orthodox  Friends  of  Iowa  had  thus  for 
years  been  working  out  their  foreign  missionary 
problem,^ ^^  other  Yearly  Meetings  had  developed 
fields  in  Asia,  Africa,  and  in  many  islands  of  the 
sea.^^^  Owing  to  their  earlier  experience  with  the 
advantages  of  cooperation  in  the  negro  and  Indian 
work,  the  consciousness  gradually  grew  that  here, 
too,  a  union  would  give  added  strength.  To  that  end 
a  move  was  made  in  1879;^^'  but  not  until  1894  was 
the  ^* American  Friends'  Board  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions'' established.^^^  By  this  means  the  mission 
work  of  the  Friends  was  brought  into  harmonious 
unity  and  into  touch  with  the  greater  world  move- 
ments of  the  day.  In  1911  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting 
authorized  the  transferrence  of  its  Jamaica  charge 
to  the  management  of  the  American  Board.^^^ 
According  to  the  present  plan  the  Iowa  Friends, 
still  responsible  for  the  maintenance  of  the  Jamaica 
field,  work  through  a  ^^  Foreign  Missionary  Com- 
mittee" appointed  by  them,^^^  which  committee  is 
subordinate  to  the  directions  of  the  American 
Board. 


EDUCATIONAL  WORK  AMONG  THE  IOWA 
FRIENDS 

The  history  of  the  Society  of  Friends  has  been 
adorned  with  the  names  of  men  eminent  in  almost 
every  field  of  scholarship.  The  number  of  Friends 
who  have  thus  distinguished  themselves  has  been 
^^  large  in  proportion  to  the  small  body  with  which 
they  are  connected  ".^^^  Two  factors  seem  chiefly  to 
be  responsible  for  this  fact :  first,  the  thoughtful  and 
meditative  form  of  worship  among  the  Friends ;  and 
second,  their  unfailing  provision  for  a  ^^  guarded 
education"  of  their  youth.  Wherever  the  Quakers 
have  planted  new  communities  in  the  West,  there 
side  by  side  are  found  the  home,  the  church,  and  the 
school. 

By  a  ''guarded  education"  the  Quakers  did  not 
mean  an  exclusively  religious  one ;  but  believing,  as 
they  did,  that  a  human  being  found  his  highest  ex- 
pression in  things  religious,  they  realized  the  neces- 
sity of  both  intellectual  and  spiritual  training  in  the 
making  of  a  man.  As  is  still  the  case,  rarely  did  the 
public  schools  of  the  early  days  afford  religious 
training;  and  to  meet  the  need,  the  Friends  evolved 
a  system  of  education  which  to  them  seemed  com- 
plete. It  was  expected  that  each  Preparative  or 
Monthly  Meeting  would  maintain  within  its  borders 

240 


EDUCATION  AMONG  IOWA  FRIENDS        241 

one  or  more  elementary  schools,  presided  over  by  a 
Friend  and  in  which  the  scriptures  would  be  taught 
daily.  Above  these  schools  were  the  academies  or 
seminaries  with  their  secondary  courses,  likewise 
maintained  by  Monthly,  or  Quarterly  Meetings,  or 
by  holding  associations  in  which  members  of  the 
Society  owned  the  controlling  stock.  Then,  as  the 
final  step,  came  the  colleges,  of  which  the  Friends 
have  in  America  at  the  present  time  no  less  than  ten, 
stretching  in  a  chain  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific 
coast. 

SALEM  AS  AN  EDUCATIONAL  CENTEE 

Hardly  had  the  Quakers  become  settled  in  their 
Iowa  homes  before  the  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  ^^  endeavor  to  have  schools 
put  in  operation ''^^2  in  their  midst.  In  its  report  in 
1841  the  committee  stated  that  there  ^^are  212 
Children  of  suitable  age  to  go  to  School"  in  the 
Monthly  Meeting;  that  there  ^^are  185  of  our  chil- 
dren who  have  received  Education  the  past  year  in 
schools  taught  by  Friends";  and  that  there  ^^are 
none  of  our  children  growing  up  without  educa- 
tion. "^^^  Typical,  indeed,  is  this  report  of  the 
conditions  which  prevailed  almost  universally  among 
the  Iowa  Friends  for  the  next  half  century,  for  well 
did  they  carry  out  the  disciplinary  provisions  on  this 
important  subject.^^^ 

The  real  advancement  began  in  1845,  when 
Eeuben  Borland,  a  highly  educated  Friend,  came 
from  Poughkeepsie,   New  York,   and   on   his   own 


242  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

responsibility  founded  Salem  Seminary.  By  the 
winter  term  of  1851  he  had  built  up  his  enrollment  to 
over  two  hundred  students,  coming  from  far  and 
near;  and  with  his  staff  of  three  teachers  besides 
himself,  was  offering  courses  in  the  following  sub- 
jects: reading,  spelling,  grammar,  geography,  his- 
tory, astronomy,  chemistry,  physiology,  mineralogy, 
botany,  algebra,  geometry,  surveying,  book-keeping, 
mercantile  correspondence,  and  intellectual  and 
moral  philosophy.^^-^  In  the  very  midst  of  success, 
however,  Borland's  health  failed.  He  was  forced  to 
abandon  his  school,  and  on  March  4,  1852,  while  en- 
route  to  California,  he  died  and  was  buried  in  the 
sea.^^^ 

For  a  time  Salem  Seminary  was  neglected;  but 
realizing  the  value  of  the  institution  to  the  church, 
the  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  took  up  the  work  in 
1854,  built  a  brick  structure  twenty-five  by  thirty  feet 
in  size,  and  reopened  the  school.  But  these  accom- 
modations soon  proved  insufficient,  and  to  meet  the 
growing  demands  in  the  spring  of  1867  a  number  of 
interested  persons  banded  together  as  a  joint  stock 
company,  and  organized  the  ^' Whittier  College  Asso- 
ciation''.^^^  John  W.  Woody  was  secured  as 
president,  and  on  April  20,  1868,  Whittier  College 
opened  its  doors.  The  school  met  with  immediate 
success ;  and  with  an  enrollment  of  over  two  hundred 
students  in  1869,  Salem  again  took  on  the  appear- 
ance of  an  educational  center.  Further  increase  in 
the  number  of  students  created  a  demand  for  larger 
space,  and  in  1874  the  old  brick  meeting-house  was 


EDUCATION  AMONG  IOWA  FRIENDS        243 

remodeled  for  a  school  building,  and  the  Friends 
sought  other  quarters  for  their  religious  gather- 

jj^gg  368 

Buoyant  with  hope,  the  Salem  Quarterly  Meeting 
of  Friends  now  launched  a  campaign  for  an  endow- 
ment fund  of  $15,000 ;  but  in  the  midst  of  the  under- 
taking there  came  the  panic  of  1877,  which  blighted 
the  hopes  of  Whittier  College.  What  with  the  fore- 
closure of  mortgages  and  failing  crops  the  enroll- 
ment dwindled,  and  in  their  attempt  to  keep  things 
running  in  hope  of  a  brighter  day,  the  trustees 
plunged  the  institution  into  debt.  Then  came  the 
second  blow,  from  which  it  never  recovered.  On  the 
night  of  December  4,  1885^^^  came  the  call  of  fire, 
and  in  a  short  time  thereafter  the  main  building  of 
Whittier  College  lay  in  ashes.  With  a  courage 
typical  of  the  Salem  Friends  they  built  anew ;  and  in 
1887  the  present  brick  structure,  two  stories  high, 
was  erected.  But  with  these  set-backs,  Whittier 
College  was  not  able  to  regain  its  former  prestige. 
Without  good  railroad  connections,  with  little 
financial  backing,  surrounded  by  public  high  schools 
and  denominational  colleges,  and  in  competition  with 
Penn  College  with  its  superior  equipment,  Whittier 
College  could  have  little  hope  of  success.  For  years 
it  struggled  along  as  a  Friends'  academy,  but  in 
1910  gave  up  and  closed  its  doors. 

QUAKER  SEMINARIES  OR  ACADEMIES  IN  IOWA 

The  same  desire  for  independent  schools  shown 
by  the  Salem  Friends  has  at  various  times  and  in 


244  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

various  ways  expressed  itself  in  almost  every  Quaker 
center  in  the  State,  so  that  among  this  religious  sect 
there  have  existed  a  number  of  academies,  each 
characteristic  of  its  time.  A  typical  example  of  the 
establishment  and  subsequent  history  of  these 
church  schools  is  to  be  found  in  Springdale  Sem- 
inary. 

At  the  opening  session  of  the  Eed  Cedar  Monthly 
Meeting  in  1853  the  subject  of  education  was  taken 
up  and  the  founding  of  church  schools  was  urged; 
but  owing  to  the  heavy  public  school  taxes  already 
assessed  upon  them,  many  of  the  Friends  were  more 
inclined  to  the  policy  of  gaining  control  of  the  public 
schools  and  conducting  them  to  their  liking.  As  a 
result  it  appears  that  in  1859  of  the  two  hundred  and 
thirty-two  children  of  school  age  in  the  Monthly 
Meeting  but  thirty-five  were  in  attendance  at  the 
school  maintained  by  the  Monthly  Meeting's  com- 
mittee, while  one  hundred  and  seventy  attended  the 
public  district  schools  in  which  eleven  Quakers 
served  as  teachers.^ ^^ 

Soon,  however,  a  school  of  higher  grade  was 
needed,  and  to  meet  this  need  the  Friends  built  a 
small  academy  in  1860.  Seeing  that  this  would  not 
long  suffice,  a  plan  for  uniting  with  the  school 
authorities  of  the  *^  Independent  District  of  Spring- 
dale"  for  better  instructional  facilities  was  evolved. 
Thus  under  an  agreement,  peculiar  on  the  part  of 
Friends,  Springdale  Seminary  was  founded  in 
1866.^^^  To  assist  in  the  construction  of  the  neces- 
sary building  the  Monthly  Meeting  pledged  three 


EDUCATION  AMONG  IOWA  FRIENDS        245 

hundred  dollars,  in  return  for  which  it  was  to  be 
represented  by  three  of  its  members  on  the  board  of 
directors  in  the  selection  of  teachers  and  in  adminis- 
tering the  affairs  of  the  school;  and  as  a  special 
concession,  the  Friends  were  to  be  allowed  to  hold  a 
religious  meeting  ^^of  short  duration''  in  the  build- 
ing once  each  week  for  the  benefit  of  the  students.^' ^ 

Springdale  Seminary  at  once  pushed  its  way  to 
the  front,  occupying  a  place  second  to  none  of  the 
same  rank  in  the  State  of  Iowa.  Its  graduates  were 
for  a  time  admitted  to  the  State  University  without 
examination.  But  friction  soon  arose  over  the  ques- 
tion of  special  privilege.  The  Springdale  Monthly 
Meeting,  feeling  that  its  rights  had  been  ignored, 
withdrew  in  1877  from  its  official  relation  with  the 
school.  As  a  Quaker  community,  however,  the 
Friends  have  down  to  the  present  time  exerted  a 
controlling  influence  over  the  institution.  While  not 
strictly  a  Quaker  school,  its  teachers  with  few  ex- 
ceptions have  from  year  to  year  been  Friends,  and  it 
has  administered  largely  to  the  interests  and  needs 
of  the  church. 

Other  academies  conducted  by  the  Friends  in 
Iowa  have  each  had  a  history  unique  and  interesting; 
but  only  a  passing  reference  can  be  given  to  them  in 
this  connection.  About  five  miles  to  the  east  of 
Indianola,  in  Warren  County,  through  the  energetic 
efforts  of  J.  W.  Morgan  a  school  called  Ackworth 
Academy,  with  a  two- story  brick  building  co sting- 
about  $6,000,  was  founded  in  1867.^^=^  In  1881  the 
officers  of  the  institution  reported  an  enrollment  of 


246  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

one  hundred  and  thirty-one  students  in  the  academic 
courses  and  seventy-four  in  the  preparatory 
courses  ;^^*  but  in  succeeding  years  for  various 
reasons  there  was  a  gradual  decline,  and  in  1910  the 
building  was  remodeled  and  is  now  used  by  the 
Sunday  school  and  church  alone. 

Contemporaneous  with  the  beginnings  of  Ack- 
worth  Academy  w^as  the  founding  of  West  Branch 
Academy,  in  Cedar  County;  Lynn  Grove  Academy, 
in  Jasper  County;  and  Stanford  Seminary,  in 
Marshall  County.  Each  of  these  schools  flourished 
for  a  time  after  1869^^^  and  then  disappeared. 

LeGrand  Academy,  in  Marshall  County,  founded 
by  the  LeGrand  Monthly  Meeting  in  1872  ;37« 
Pleasant  Plain  Academy,  in  Jefferson  County, 
founded  by  a  ^'Stockholders'  Association '^  in 
]^g7g.377  ^j^^  ]<lew  Providence  Academy,  in  Hardin 
County,  also  founded  by  a  '' Stockholders '  Associ- 
ation" in  1882,^^^  all  have  had  interesting  careers, 
productive  of  much  good  to  hundreds  of  young  men 
and  women  in  their  respective  communities.  Earl- 
ham  Academy,  in  Madison  County,  the  last  of  these 
Quaker  schools  established  in  Iowa,  opened  the  doors 
of  its  $10,000  building  in  1892.^^^  For  seven  years, 
under  the  direction  of  the  Bear  Creek  Quarterly  and 
Earlham  Monthly  Meetings,  it  did  excellent  work; 
but  during  the  winter  of  1899-1900  an  epidemic  of 
smallpox  closed  its  doors.  In  the  fall  of  1900  the 
Academy  and  Earlham  High  School  were  combined, 
and  thus  the  institution  passed  from  under  the  con- 
trol of  the  Friends.^^*^ 


EDUCATION  AMONG  IOWA  FRIENDS        247 

Having  briefly  traced  the  history  of  these  various 
schools,  a  statement  should  be  made  as  to  the  causes 
of  their  general  decline.  First  stands  the  fact  that, 
aside  from  the  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  academies 
themselves  of  late  years  to  so  adjust  their  courses  of 
study  as  to  meet  the  entrance  requirements  of  the 
higher  schools  of  learning,  little  or  no  correlative 
effort  or  general  control  has  prevailed,  each  school, 
for  the  most  part,  following  out  its  own  peculiar 
policy.  Secondly,  in  Iowa  no  successful  attempt  has 
been  made  to  endow  these  schools  and  place  them  on 
a  sound  financial  basis;  but  year  after  year  the  in- 
structors have  been  expected  to  shift  for  themselves, 
generally  having  to  depend  for  their  compensation 
on  the  tuition  received  or  on  whatever  bonus  fund 
might  be  contributed  by  interested  persons.  Finally, 
because  of  the  growth  of  the  public  high  schools 
there  has  of  late  years  been  a  marked  decline  in 
interest  in  these  church  schools  on  the  part  of  the 
Friends  whose  efforts  have  been  shifted  to  the  main- 
tenance of  their  growing  college  at  Oskaloosa. 

PENN  COLLEGE 

Penn  College,  the  pride  of  the  Orthodox  Friends 
in  Iowa,  is  the  product  of  the  fusion  of  two  distinct 
Quaker  elements,  one  bearing  a  southern  stamp  and 
the  other  being  of  New  England  origin.  The  first  of 
these  elements  found  expression  in  the  building  of 
the  *^Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  Boarding  School"  in 
1860,  close  beside  the  Spring  Creek  meeting-house, 
some  two   and  one-half  miles  northeast  of  Oska- 


248  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

loosa.^^^  In  contrast,  near  the  Center  Grove  meet- 
ing-liouse,  about  two  miles  to  the  north  of  the  town, 
stood  the  ''Thorndyke  Institute'',  owned  and  con- 
trolled by  Henry  and  Anna  Thorndyke,  prominent 
Friends  from  New  England.^^^ 

In  the  fall  of  1863,  soon  after  the  opening  of  the 
Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  the  building  of  the 
^^  Spring  Creek  Institute'',  as  the  ^'Boarding 
School"  was  now  called,  caught  fire  and  burned  to 
the  ground.  Finding  it  difficult  to  rebuild  with  the 
funds  remaining  on  hand,  a  large  committee  was 
appointed  by  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  in  1866  to 
consider  *^the  Educational  wants  of  the  mem- 
bers".^^^  This  ^^consideration"  led  directly  to  the 
founding  of  Penn  College.  Out  of  the  Spring  Creek 
school  and  other  interests  was  formed  in  1867  '^The 
Iowa  Union  College  Association  of  Friends  ",^^^ 
which  soon  amalgamated  with  the  Thorndyke  school ; 
and  the  site  for  a  union  college  where  Penn  now 
stands  was  chosen  in  1869.^^^  In  the  fall  of  1871  the 
committee  was  able  to  report  that  ten  acres  for  a 
college  campus  had  been  procured  without  cost  to 
the  Yearly  Meeting,  that  the  west  wing  of  a  new 
college  building  was  up  and  enclosed,  and  that 
^'Friends  of  Philadelphia  and  other  parts  of  the 
East  have  subscribed  $1,000  annually  for  five  years 
to  assist  in  filling  out  the  salary  of  teachers,  and 
about  $1,000  towards  the  completion  of  the  build- 
ing, "^se  On  the  fifth  of  November,  1872,^^^  amid 
much  rejoicing,  Penn  College,  named  for  William 
Penn,  swung  wide  its  doors  for  the  first  time. 


EDUCATION  AMONG  IOWA  FRIENDS        249 

Strengthened  by  the  addition  of  a  preparatory 
academy,  Penn  College  has  through  a  period  of  forty 
years  steadily  pushed  ahead  into  a  prominent  posi- 
tion among  the  denominational  colleges  in  the  State 
of  Iowa,  and  among  the  Quaker  schools  of  higher 
learning  in  America.  During  this  period  it  has 
trained  within  its  walls  over  Ryq  thousand  young 
men  and  women,  of  whom  no  less  than  four  hundred 
and  seventy-five  have  received  the  honors  of  gradua- 
IJQj^388  Five  presidents  have  guided  its  policies  ;^^^ 
and  from  among  its  faculty  and  student  body  many 
have  risen  into  prominence  in  both  the  business  and 
the  professional  world. 

With  the  changing  years  every  effort  has  been 
strained  to  meet  the  growing  demands  upon  the  insti- 
tution ;  and  without  adequate  means  of  support,  time 
and  time  again  its  managers  have  been  face  to  face 
with  financial  failure.  In  1898  came  the  first  success- 
ful attempt  to  raise  a  permanent  endowment  fund, 
which,  through  the  enticing  offer  of  a  $9,000  farm  if 
the  Friends  would  raise  an  additional  $50,000  for 
their  college,  was  completed  at  the  Yearly  Meeting 
in  1900.^^^  Then  came  the  recent  financial  struggle 
to  meet  the  State  regulation  that  all  first-grade 
colleges  in  Iowa  must  have  a  productive  endowment 
of  $200,000,  or  an  independent  income  equal  to  ^ve 
per  cent  of  that  amount.^^^  To  accomplish  the  task 
every  strategy  known  to  those  who  had  the  enter- 
prise at  heart  was  employed,  and  no  stone  through- 
out the  realm  of  Iowa  Quakerism  was  left  unturned. 
As  the  final  day,  June  1, 1911,  drew  near,  the  interest 


250  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

in  the  undertaking  grew  intense;  but  no  authentic 
information  found  its  way  to  public  ears  as  to  the 
course  of  affairs.  When  the  midnight  hour  of  that 
eventful  day  arrived,  however,  every  church  bell  in 
Oskaloosa  pealed  forth  the  glad  news  and  every 
factory  whistle  joined  the  chorus  to  say  that  Penn 
had  won  the  victory.  On  the  following  commence- 
ment day  it  was  publicly  announced  that  the  aggre- 
gate of  the  endowment  fund  had  reached  $222,000, 
and  that  the  future  of  the  college,  for  a  time  at  least, 
was  safe.^^2 

In  more  ways  than  one  this  last  financial  under- 
taking will  mean  much  to  the  Society  of  Friends  in 
Iowa.  Not  only  does  it  now  assure  the  church  of  a 
permanent  training  school  for  future  leaders  in  all 
lines  of  church  activity;  but  of  more  importance  is 
the  fact  that  it  opened  the  purse  strings  of  a  people 
who,  through  the  conservative  nature  of  their  train- 
ing, were  untutored  in  the  art  of  giving.  True,  the 
Iowa  Quakers  have  done  much  in  a  philanthropic 
way,  as  the  foregoing  pages  have  shown;  but  aside 
from  their  mission  work  of  recent  years  in  Jamaica 
and  their  existing  pastoral  system,  their  church  con- 
nection has  cost  them  little  in  actual  outlay  of  money. 
Now  they  are  awakened  to  a  growing  consciousness 
of  common  interest ;  and  in  the  third  campaign  which 
before  long  must  begin  if  Penn  College  is  to  continue 
to  hold  its  educational  standing,  it  will  no  doubt  be 
found  that  a  more  liberal  spirit  prevails. 


PAET  V 

RELIGIOUS  AND  SOCIAL  LIFE  OF  THE 
QUAKERS 


251 


EELIGIOUS  BELIEFS  OF  THE  QUAKERS 

It  is  difficult  to  make  a  concise  and  satisfactory 
statement  of  the  religious  beliefs  of  the  Quakers. 
Always  mystical  and  individualistic  in  their  worship, 
abhorrent  of  all  religious  formality,  and  protestant 
to  the  last  degree,  they  have  shown  little  liking  for 
any  catalogued  statement  of  their  tenets  in  the  form 
of  a  creed,  fearing  that  such  might  easily  become  a 
worship  of  the  head  rather  than  of  the  heart.  It  is 
true  that  in  Fox's  letter  of  1671  to  the  Governor  of 
Barbadoes  one  finds  something  approaching  a  con- 
fession of  faith,  and  in  the  declarations  of  the 
various  Quaker  sects  published  from  time  to  time 
there  appear  statements  closely  resembling  a  re- 
ligious creed.  But,  as  in  the  case  with  the  English 
Constitution,  in  no  document  nor  in  any  one  place  is 
a  complete  declaration  of  the  Quaker  faith  to  be 
found.  It  is  scattered  through  the  writings  of  the 
founders  of  the  order;  it  comes  to  light  here  and 
there  in  the  schisms  which  have  rent  the  Society; 
and  above  all,  it  manifests  itself  continuously  in  the 
daily  manners  and  customs  of  the  members,  thus 
exemplifying  the  fact  that  it  is  in  truth  ^  ^  the  product 
of  progressive  history".  Therefore,  to  understand 
Quakerism  it  will  be  necessary  to  examine  a  few  of 

253 


254  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

the   sources   in  which  these   religious   beliefs   are 
expressed. 

In  his  letter  to  the  Governor  of  Barbadoes,  Fox 
sets  forth  the  elements  of  the  Quaker  faith  in  these 
words : 

Whereas  many  scandalous  lies  and  slanders  have  been 
cast  upon  us,  to  render  us  odious;  as  that  "We  deny  God, 
Christ  Jesus,  and  the  scriptures  of  truth, "  .  .  .  .  Yet, 
for  your  satisfaction,  we  now  plainly  and  sincerely  declare. 
That  we  own  and  believe  in  the  only  wise.  Omnipotent,  and 
Everlasting  God,  the  Creator  of  all  things  in  heaven  and 
earth,  and  the  Preserver  of  all  that  he  hath  made.  .  .  . 
And  we  own  and  believe  in  Jesus  Christ,  his  beloved  and 
only  begotten  Son  ....  who  was  conceived  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary;  in  whom  we 
have  redemption  through  his  blood,  even  the  forgiveness  of 
sins  ....  that  he  was  crucified  for  us  in  the  flesh, 
without  the  gates  of  Jerusalem;  and  that  he  was  buried, 
and  rose  again  the  third  day  ....  and  that  he 
ascended  up  into  heaven,  and  now  sitteth  at  the  right  hand 
of  God. 

Concerning  the  scriptures  Fox  continues:  ^'we 
believe  they  were  given  forth  by  the  holy  Spirit  of 
God,  \vho  .  .  .  .  ^  spoke  as  they  were  moved  by 
the  Holy  Ghost.'  We  believe  they  are  to  be  read, 
believed,  and  fulfilled ''.^^^  This  declaration,  with 
the  varied  interpretations  placed  upon  it,  stands 
to-day  as  the  accepted  belief  of  the  Friends  on  the 
subjects  of  the  fatherhood  of  God,  the  sonship, 
atonement,  resurrection  and  ascension  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  the  inspiration  of  the  Bible.     But  for 


RELIGIOUS  BELIEFS  OF  THE  QUAKERS    255 

other   essential   elements   of  Quakerism   one   must 
search  elsewhere. 

^^The  one  corner-stone  of  belief  upon  which  the 
Society  of  Friends  is  built",  says  one  writer,  "is  the 
conviction  that  God  does  indeed  communicate  with 
each  one  of  the  spirits  He  has  made,  in  a  direct  and 
living  inbreathing  of  some  measure  of  the  breath  of 
His  own  life ;  that  He  never  leaves  Himself  without 
a  witness  in  the  heart  as  well  as  in  the  surroundings 
of  man'\^^^  On  this  same  theme  of  the  "inner 
light '  \  William  Penn  wrote : 

That  which  the  people  called  Quakers  lay  down  as  a 
main  fundamental  in  religion  is  this  —  That  God,  through 
Christ,  hath  placed  a  principle  in  every  man,  to  infoy^m  him 
of  his  duty,  and  to  enable  him  to  do  it;  and  that  those  that 
live  up  to  this  principle  are  the  people  of  God,  and  those 
that  live  in  disobedience  to  it,  are  not  God's  people,  what- 
ever name  they  may  bear,  or  profession  they  may  make  of 
religion.^^^ 

"This  is  that  universal  evangelical  principle'', 
declares  Eobert  Barclay,  the  noted  Quaker  apologist, 
*  ^  in  and  by  which  this  salvation  of  Christ  is  exhibited 
to  all  men,  both  Jeiv  and  Gentile,  Scythian  and  Bar- 
barian, of  whatsoever  country  or  kindred  he  be''.^^^ 

With  this  teaching  of  the  "inner  light"  and  the 
direct  communion  of  the  individual  with  God,  it  is 
not  surprising  that  from  the  start  the  Quakers  were 
led  to  reject  any  and  all  of  those  religious  rites  and 
ceremonies  usually  thought  so  necessary  by  other 
denominations.  For  them  the  ordinances  of  water 
baptism,  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  and 


256  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

the  like,  have  no  binding  force ;  for  to  them  all  such 
are  but  symbols  of  that  spiritual  communion  which 
forms  the  very  center  of  their  faith.  Then,  too,  this 
same  spiritual  turn  of  their  religious  thinking  led 
them  directly  into  the  teaching  of  justification  and 
sanctification ;  for,  says  Barclay,  '^as  many  as  resist 
not  this  liglitj  but  receive  the  same,  it  becomes  in 
them  an  holy,  pure,  and  spiritual  birth,  bringing 
forth  holiness,  righteousness,  purity,  and  all  those 
other  blessed  fruits  which  are  acceptable  to  God''. 
And  again  the  same  writer  declares  that  in  those  in 
whom  ^Hhis  pure  and  holy  hirth  is  fully  brought 
forth,  the  body  of  death  and  sin  comes  to  be  crucified 
and  removed  ....  so  as  not  to  obey  any  sug- 
gestions or  temptations  of  the  evil  one,  but  to  be  free 
from  actual  sinning  and  transgression  of  the  law  of 

Closely  allied  with  these,  the  main  tenets  of  the 
Quaker  faith,  are  a  number  of  precepts,  or  ^^testi- 
monies ' '  as  they  are  called  by  the  Friends,  which  are 
based  on  certain  scriptural  teaching.  The  two  most 
important  of  these  testimonies  are  opposition  to  war 
and  refusal  to  take  oath.^^^  While  the  latter  of  these 
has  given  them  little  difficulty  in  Iowa,  owing  to  the 
general  exemption  laws  in  force,  their  conscientious 
scruples  against  bearing  arms  proved  to  be  a  serious 
matter  during  the  Civil  War.  When  the  military 
draft  was  issued  the  Quakers,  together  with  the  other 
noncombatant  religionists  of  lowa,^^^  appealed  to  the 
Governor^^^  and  the  General  Assembly^^^  for  relief. 
The  only  reply  was  the  obnoxious  exemption  fee  of 


RELIGIOUS  BELIEFS  OF  THE  QUAKERS    257 

$300,  or  the  furnishing  of  a  substitute,  in  case  of 
draft.4^2 

Such  in  broad  outlines  are  the  beliefs  of  the 
Quakers  in  Iowa  —  aside  from  the  exceptions  noted 
in  the  case  of  the  Hicksite  and  Wilbur  Friends.  In 
1912  the  Conservative  Friends  in  Iowa  united  with 
the  other  Yearly  Meetings  with  which  they  cor- 
respond in  adopting  a  restatement  of  their  principles 
in  the  form  of  a  brief  synopsis,  which,  however,  is 
but  a  reaffirmation  of  their  ancient  doctrines.  In 
like  manner  the  Orthodox  Friends  of  America  met  in 
1912  in  their  quinquennial  conference  at  Indianap- 
olis, Indiana,  where  they  threshed  out  their  differ- 
ences on  the  questions  of  evangelism  and  higher 
criticism.  At  the  close  of  the  spirited  discussion  the 
Five  Years  Meeting  united  in  reaffirming  its  accept- 
ance of  both  Fox's  letter  to  the  Governor  of  Bar- 
badoes,  and  the  ^^ Richmond  Declaration"  of  1887,*^^ 
but  proposed  to  leave  each  Yearly  Meeting  free  to 
interpret  them  as  it  saw  fit.  In  consequence  it  may 
be  said  that  the  Orthodox  body  alone  among  the 
Iowa  Quakers  has  taken  the  forward  step  of  at- 
tempting to  adjust  themselves  to  the  changing 
religious  thought  of  modern  times. 


17 


II 

THE  QUAKER  MEETING 

The  term  ^'Quaker  Meeting '',  which  has  long  since 
passed  into  our  language  as  describing  any  occasion 
of  a  quiet  or  solemn  character,  is  little  understood 
by  the  present  generation,  or  even  by  most  of  the 
Friends  themselves.  There  are  only  a  few  secluded 
spots  where  the  real  Quaker  meeting  can  now  be 
seen  in  Iowa,  for  such  meetings  belong  to  a  day  that 
is  gone. 

Fifty  years  ago,  or  even  less,  there  might  have 
been  seen  here  and  there  scattered  over  Iowa  the 
old-time  Quaker  meeting-houses,  uncrowned  by 
belfry  or  steeple  ;*^^  but  now  such  houses  of  worship 
are  all  but  gone.  Those  quaint  old  buildings  had  an 
architecture  all  their  own.  Of  long,  low,  rectangular 
form,  with  plain  glass  windows  and  two  plain  doors 
(the  right  one  for  men  and  the  left  for  women),  they 
were  more  suggestive  of  peace  and  quiet  than  are 
the  more  ornate  and  imposing  structures  which  have 
of  late  years  so  generally  taken  their  places.  There 
was  the  old-time  ^'hopping  block"  of  pioneer  days, 
or  the  long  board  platform  extending  half-way  round 
the  house,  for  the  convenience  of  those  who  wished 
to  enter  direct  from  their  wagons.  The  meeting- 
house on  the  inside  was  altogether  plain.     The  in- 

258 


THE  QUAKER  MEETING  259 

terior  consisted  of  an  open  room  which  was  divided 
by  a  half  partition  and  sliding  shutters  into  two 
equal  parts,  the  one  for  the  men  and  the  other  for 
the  women.  The  seats,  plain  and  straight,  were  set 
on  a  level  floor.  At  the  front  there  was  a  raised 
platform  on  which  were  placed  seats  in  two  or  more 
rows,  each  a  step  higher  than  the  other,  for  the  use 
of  the  ministers  and  elders.  No  organ,  no  pictures, 
no  lamps,*^^  and  no  ornaments  of  any  kind  were  there 
to  attract  the  eye  or  disturb  meditation  and  worship. 
As  the  Friends  gathered  from  far  and  near  they 
entered  the  meeting-house  with  their  hats  on  and 
took  their  places  in  silence,  each  occupying  his  ac- 
customed seat  as  allotted  by  the  committee  usually 
appointed  for  that  purpose.*^^  During  the  service  no 
opening  hymns  were  sung,  there  were  no  announce- 
ments, no  scripture  reading,  no  morning  offering  ;*^^ 
but  silence  prevailed,  and  in  this  silence  each  one 
present  was  expected  to  listen  to  the  bidding  of  the 
'^ still  small  voice'',  unaided  by  the  active  con- 
trivances of  his  own  mind  and  heart.  Many  times 
throughout  the  entire  meeting  they  sat  thus  in 
worship  without  a  word  being  spoken.  If,  however, 
some  one,  either  man  or  woman,  felt  moved  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  speak,  he  slowly  arose,  removed  his 
hat,  and  in  a  peculiarly  melodious,  half  sing-song 
manner  proceeded  with  his  exhortation,  which  was 
usually  unstudied  and  with  little  sequence  of 
thought,  but  touched  with  a  spiritual  freshness  and 
beauty  seldom  found  in  the  stereotyped  discourses  of 
the    professional    clergy.      When    the    exhortation 


260  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

ended,  silence  again  prevailed,  unless  another  felt 
moved  to  continue  the  exhortation  or  to  introduce  a 
new  line  of  thought.  If  prayer  was  offered,  the 
audience  arose,  the  men  removing  their  hats  and 
turning  their  backs  to  each  other  until  the  petition, 
usually  of  a  highly  figurative  character,  ended,  when 
all  were  again  seated. 

Thus  the  old-time  Quaker  meeting  for  worship 
proceeded  until  he  who  sat  at  the  ^'head  of  the 
meeting"  and  was  known  as  the  "timer",  felt  that 
the  hour  had  arrived  for  the  meeting  to  close. 
Whereupon  he  would  turn  to  his  neighbor  and  shake 
hands  —  this  being  the  sign  for  a  general  greeting  — 
and  in  this  manner  the  service  "broke". 

At  stated  times  a  business  session  followed  the 
meeting  for  worship,  in  preparation  for  which  the 
sliding  "shutters"  were  closed  so  that  the  men  and 
women  were  as  effectively  separated  as  though  they 
were  in  two  entirely  different  rooms.  A  clerk  for 
each  body  then  took  charge ;  and  for  the  handling  of 
matters  of  mutual  concern,  "messengers"  were 
appointed  to  pass  back  and  forth  with  written  or 
oral  messages  through  a  door  in  the  partition.  With 
peculiar  phraseology  and  a  minuteness  evolved 
through  generations,  each  item  of  business,  when 
passed  upon  by  common  consent  (the  Quakers  did 
not  vote  on  matters  of  business  in  their  meetings), 
was  entered  on  record  in  the  "Minutes";  and  when 
all  was  finished,  by  order  of  the  clerk  the  meeting 
"solemnly  concluded". 

Almost  every  Quaker  custom  has  had  its  origin  in 


THE  QUAKER  MEETING  261 

some  important  struggle  or  ^^ testimony".  With 
their  teaching  of  the  *  ^  inner  light ' '  and  the  leading  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Quakers  were  obliged  to 
recognize  the  ministry  of  women;  for  God,  so  they 
believed,  was  no  respecter  of  race  or  kind  and  spoke 
His  messages  through  male  and  female  alike.^^^ 
Again,  as  early  as  1668  the  custom  of  separate 
meetings  for  men  and  women  was  established  and 
received  the  approval  of  Fox,  apparently  on  two 
substantial  grounds,*^^  namely,  the  ability  of  women 
to  better  care  for  the  concerns  of  their  sex  in 
separate  meetings  and  the  desire  to  free  the  Society 
from  the  slanderous  charges  of  immorality  early 
brought  against  it  by  its  enemies.  Strange  as  it  may 
seem,  the  custom  of  separate  meetings  obtained  in 
the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Orthodox  Friends  until 
1893,  when  it  was  formally  abandoned.* ^^ 


Ill 

QUAKER  MARRIAGES 

Maeeiage  has  always  been  regarded  by  the  Quakers 
as  primarily  a  religious  compact.  ^^They  say'', 
remarked  William  Penn,  ^'that  marriage  is  an 
ordinance  of  God,  and  that  God  only  can  rightly  join 
man  and  woman  in  marriage. "^^^  Accordingly  the 
Quakers  have  held  that  divorce  could  be  granted  only 
on  Biblical  grounds,  namely,  fornication  or  adul- 
tery.^ ^^  To  safeguard  the  sacred  institution  of 
marriage  the  Friends  have  hedged  it  about  with 
rules  and  observances  which  now  appear  strange  or 
even  fanatical  to  some,  but  which,  nevertheless,  have 
prevented  moral  laxness  and  a  multitude  of  divorce 
cases. 

For  the  moral  teaching  of  its  young  people  the 
Society  of  Friends  placed  the  chief  responsibility  on 
the  parents,  requiring  of  them  by  frequent  reminders 
that  they  ^'exercise  a  religious  care  in  watching  over 
their  children,  and  endeavor  to  guard  them  against 
improper  or  unequal  connections  in  marriage '  \  On 
the  other  hand,  when  a  young  man  or  woman  contem- 
plated this  serious  step,  before  entering  into  a 
formal  engagement  they  were  expected  first  to  con- 
sult their  parents  for  advice;  while  older  persons 
independent  of  parental  care  were  admonished  to 
consult  interested  friends  with  a  view  to  learning 

262 


QUAKER  MARRIAGES  263 

their  judgment  as  to  the  propriety  of  the  union.  In 
any  case  and  above  all  else  the  parties  concerned 
were  expected  to  solemnly  consider  the  weightiness 
of  the  matter,  and  to  seek  divine  direction  before 
plighting  their  troth. 

As  has  been  suggested,  certain  prohibitions  were 
laid  down  as  rules  —  the  observance  of  which,  it 
should  be  noted,  is  rather  the  exception  than  the  rule 
among  the  Friends  in  Iowa  to-day.  In  the  first 
place,  no  marriages  *^  between  any  so  near  as  first 
cousins,  nor  the  children  of  half  brothers  or  half 
sisters"  were  to  be  permitted.  Furthermore,  mar- 
riage '^between  a  man  and  his  deceased  wife's  sister, 
or  between  a  woman  and  her  deceased  husband's 
brother"  was  strongly  advised  against.  Then,  to 
prevent  unseemly  and  hasty  unions,  the  Monthly 
Meetings  were  usually  directed  to  consider  no  pro- 
posals for  re-marriage  on  the  part  of  any  widowed 
person  ^^  sooner  than  one  year  after  the  decease  of  a 
former  husband  or  wife. ' ' 

Perhaps  the  most  serious  difficulty  of  all,  and 
certainly  the  one  of  greatest  importance  to  the 
Society  from  the  standpoint  of  later  losses,  arose 
because  of  the  prohibition  placed  on  the  marriage  of 
members  with  those  not  within  the  Quaker  fold. 
Practically  all  of  the  early  leaders  of  the  Society 
attacked  most  vigorously  the  system  of  ^^ mixed  mar- 
riages ' ',  as  they  were  called,  and  on  grounds  highly 
defensible  in  the  early  day  but  ill-adapted  to  the 
broader  spirit  of  more  modern  times.  By  them  it 
was  contended  that  differences  in  religious  connec- 


264  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

tion  or  belief  almost  invariably  led  sooner  or  later  to 
domestic  troubles  which  destroyed  the  harmony  of 
the  homes  concerned  and  reflected  discredit  upon  the 
Society  itself.  And  so,  until  well  towards  the  close 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  to  ^' marry  out'*  of  meet- 
ing almost  always  brought  the  stigma  of  disownment 
upon  the  offending  party.  Moreover,  if  parents  or 
guardians  encouraged  such  a  marriage,  or  even 
attended  the  ceremony,  they,  too,  were  disowned. 
The  only  way  such  persons  could  regain  their  stand- 
ing in  the  church  was  to  come  before  the  Monthly 
Meeting  and  publicly  declare,  either  verbally  or  by 
written  notice,  that  they  were  ^^  sorry  for  their 
deviation."    This  of  course  rarely  occurred.^ ^" 

When  ^^the  way  seemed  clear",  the  first  definite 
step  to  be  taken  towards  a  Quaker  wedding  was  for 
the  man  and  the  woman  concerned  to  inform  the 
overseers  of  the  Preparative  Meeting  to  which  the 
woman  belonged  of  the  proposed  union.  The  two 
parties  next  appeared  at  the  succeeding  Monthly 
Meeting,  and  with  evidence  at  hand  that  they  had  the 
consent  of  their  parents  for  their  union  they  in- 
formed both  the  men's  and  the  women's  meeting  of 
their  intentions.^ ^^  Thereupon  each  body  of  Friends 
appointed  a  committee  of  two  of  its  members;  and 
the  men  were  to  investigate  the  man's  ''clearness  of 
like  engagements  with  others",  while  the  women 
were  to  do  the  same  for  their  sister.  This  done,  at 
the  following  Monthly  Meeting  the  committees  gave 
their  reports;  and,  if  satisfactory,  the  parties  con- 
cerned were  then  to  go  together  into  both  the  men 's 


QUAKER  ]VIARRIAGES  265 

and  women's  meeting  and  there  publicly  declare 
their  ^  *  continued  intentions  of  marriage ' ' —  this  be- 
ing commonly  called  ^ ^passing  meeting' \  When 
each  and  all  of  these  acts  had  been  recorded  in  the 
minutes,  the  parties  would  propose  a  date  for  their 
wedding.  Then  each  of  the  meetings  appointed 
another  committee  of  two  of  its  members  to  be 
present  and  see  that  ^^good  order  be  observed''. 

The  eventful  day  having  at  last  arrived,  with 
parents  and  friends  the  man  and  the  woman  pro- 
ceeded to  the  little  meeting-house  where  the  woman 
usually  worshipped ;  and  there  in  the  presence  of  the 
assembled  community  —  which  was  always  inter- 
ested in  these  nuptial  occasions  —  they  took  the 
marriage  vow.  On  entering  the  door  the  parties 
made  their  way  slowly  to  the  front,  and  in  silence 
quietly  took  their  seats.  A  time  of  worship  followed, 
during  which  anyone  so  moved  might  feel  at  liberty 
to  speak  in  exhortation  or  prayer.  At  the  proper 
time  —  indicated  by  the  head  of  the  meeting  —  the 
man  and  woman  arose,  joined  hands,  and  in  an 
audible  and  solemn  manner  said,  the  man  first  speak- 
ing: ^'In  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  and  before  this 

assembly,  I  take to  be  my  wife; 

promising,  with  divine  assistance  to  be  unto  her  a 
loving  and  faithful  husband,  until  death  shall  sep- 
arate us."^^^  The  woman  having  recited  the  same 
words,  the  plain  marriage  certificate  of  the  Monthly 
Meeting  was  produced ^^^  and  signed  by  the  contract- 
ing parties  and  by  witnesses.  This  certificate  was 
then  delivered  to  the  clerk  of  the  Monthly  Meeting 


266  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

for  registry  in  his  records  and  afterwards  returned 
to  the  married  couple. 

After  the  public  ceremony,  the  relatives  and 
intimate  friends  repaired  to  the  home  of  the  bride 
where  the  joy  of  the  occasion  expressed  itself  in  a 
wedding  dinner.  Here,  however,  all  due  precaution 
was  taken  against  ^  immoderate  feasting  or  drink- 
ing'^  or  ''unseemly,  or  rude  discourses  or  actions". 
Some  of  the  overseers  were  expected  to  be  present, 
and  in  case  of  any  noticeable  breach  they  were  "to 
take  such  [person]  aside"  and  ''admonish  them  to 
better  behaviour ' '.  Neither  was  the  making  of  "an 
uproar  around  a  house  at  night  where  a  couple 
.  .  .  .  had  consummated  marriage ""^^"^  allowed; 
but  more  than  once,  so  the  records  show,  the  boister- 
ous Quaker  youth  of  Iowa  violated  this  ruling  and 
suffered  disownment  in  consequence. 

"Why  were  these  people  so  strict?"  and  "How 
did  they  meet  the  common  provisions  of  the  law?" 
are  questions  which  have  often  been  asked  concern- 
ing the  old-time  Quaker  marriages.  In  reply  to  the 
first  of  these  inquiries  it  may  be  said,  in  brief,  that 
when  Quakerism  arose  as  a  religious  institution  in 
England  public  and  private  morals  were  exceedingly 
corrupt,  and  to  protect  both  the  members  and  the 
Society  itself  no  pains  were  spared  by  the  founders 
to  preserve  moral  integrity.  The  second  question, 
however,  opens  up  a  broader  field  and  introduces  an 
interesting  phase  of  legislative  history,  which,  from 
the  Iowa  point  of  view,  calls  for  more  detailed  dis- 
cussion. 


QUAKER  MARRIAGES  267 

In  1833  the  Territory  of  Michigan  passed  a  law 
for  the  benefit  of  its  Quaker  inhabitants,  which  pro- 
vided that  it  ^^  shall  be  lawful  for  the  society  called 
Friends  or  Quakers  ....  to  solemnize  the 
rites  of  marriage  agreeably  to  their  forms  and 
customs'',  accepting  at  the  same  time  the  Quaker 
procedure  of  having  the  intention  of  such  a  marriage 
announced  ^'on  two  different  days  of  public  wor- 
ship" in  lieu  of  the  usual  civil  license.*  ^^  This  law 
was  still  in  force  in  Iowa  when  the  Quakers  first 
planted  their  homes  in  the  Black  Hawk  Purchase. 
But  in  1840  the  Iowa  Territorial  legislature  took  up 
the  question  of  marriages,  and  saw  fit  to  make  an 
addition  to  these  early  provisions  which  required  the 
clerks  of  meetings  at  which  Quaker  marriages  were 
solemnized  to  file  certificates  in  all  such  cases  with 
the  clerk  of  the  district  court,  under  penalty  of  fifty 
dollars  fine  in  case  of  failure  to  comply  with  the 
law.*^^  Jealous  of  any  civil  interference,  the  Iowa 
Quakers  strenuously  objected  to  this  innovation. 
But  greater  still  was  their  consternation  when  they 
found  that  with  the  adoption  of  the  Code  of  1851 
exemption  from  the  necessity  of  procuring  a  civil 
marriage  license  had  been  omitted  and  the  right  of 
' '  solemnizing  marriages ' '  alone  had  been  guaranteed 
to  them.*2o 

Protest  as  they  might,  the  Quakers  found  no 
relief  until  the  legislature  took  up  the  matter  in  1868 
and  passed  an  act  which  freed  ^Hhe  members  of  the 
Society  of  Friends  from  applying  for  marriage 
licenses  ",*^^  and  allowed  them  again  to  resort  to 


268  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

their  ancient  order  of  procedure.  Then  before  long 
there  came  another  revision  of  the  laws  of  Iowa  upon 
the  report  of  the  Code  Commission  in  1873.  In  this 
report  all  reference  to  exemption  from  the  necessity 
of  securing  a  civil  marriage  license  was  omitted,  just 
as  it  had  been  in  the  Code  of  1851;  and  so  the  battle 
for  exemption  had  to  be  fought  over  again.  The 
chief  interest  centered  in  the  Senate,  where  the 
Judiciary  Committee,  to  which  the  subject  had  been 
referred,  recommended  that  the  exemption  clause  in 
question  be  reinserted.  Much  parliamentary  pro- 
cedure followed,  with  the  result  that  Quakers  were 
once  more  exempted.^^^  Finally,  came  the  revision 
of  1897,  accompanied  with  a  similar  attempt  to  place 
the  legalization  of  marriage  purely  on  a  civil  basis ; 
but  again  the  undertaking  failed.  In  the  Code  of 
1897  may  be  found  the  following  provision:  ^^The 
provisions  of  this  chapter  [on  marriage],  so  far  as 
they  relate  to  procuring  licenses  and  to  the  sol- 
emnization of  marriages,  are  not  applicable  to  mem- 
bers of  any  particular  denomination  having,  as  such, 

any  peculiar  mode  of  entering  the  marriage  rela- 
tion.''^^s 


IV 

QUAKER  MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS 

The  true  explanation  of  many  of  those  Quaker 
manners  and  customs  which  have  always  been  con- 
sidered peculiar  was  expressed  by  Thomas  Clarkson 
over  a  hundred  years  ago  in  these  words : 

The  reader  should  always  bear  in  his  mind,  if  the  Quaker 
should  differ  from  him  on  any  particular  subject,  that  they 
set  themselves  apart  as  a  christian  community,  aiming  at 
christian  perfection :  that  it  is  their  wish  to  educate  their 
children,  not  as  moralists  or  as  philosophers,  but  as 
christians ;  and  that  therefore,  in  determining  the  propriety 
of  a  practice,  they  will  frequently  judge  of  it  by  an  estimate, 
very  different  from  that  of  the  world.424 

Without  question  the  chief  outward  feature  which 
has  always  distinguished  the  Quaker  from  his  fel- 
lows has  been  his  manner  of  dress.  The  broad- 
brimmed  hats  or  scuttle-shaped  bonnets,  and  the 
plain  grey  clothes  ^-^  of  peculiar  cut,  were,  at  the  out- 
set, primarily  a  protest  against  the  extravagance  of 
the  age  of  Elizabeth  and  James  I,  when  ^'the  dress- 
ing a  fine  lady  was  more  complicated  than  rigging  a 
ship  of  war''.^^^  Before  long  the  same  concern  for 
simplicity  in  dress  found  its  way  to  America ;  and  in 
the  records  of  the  New  England  Yearly  Meeting  of 
Friends  may  be  found  the  following  direction  to  its 
members : 

269 


270  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

That  all  men  Friends,  both  old  and  young  be  careful  not 
to  Imatate  the  vain  Fashions  of  the  World  in  wearing  their 
hatts  set  up  on  three  sides  (with  Ribins  broads  or  Bunched) 
nor  powder  the  hair  to  be  seen,  nor  ware  thee  Neck  cloath 
Long  hanging  down  or  twisted  through  the  Button  holes; 
nor  bigg  superflous,  or  superfluity  of  holes,  nor  bigg  Button- 
holes, or  places  wrought  in  Imatation  of  holes,  nor  cross 
Pocketts,  nor  Capes  on  their  Coates.  Nor  wide  Laped 
Sleaves,  nor  gathered  Skirts,  drawn  in  Foulds  like  the  vain 
practice  of  the  world.  Nor  unsutable  lineings  of  Gaudy 
Coulors,  nor  the  Breeches  too  Strait,  nor  bigg  Unbecoming 
Shubuckles.4  27 

This  antipathy  toward  showiness  accompanied 
the  Quaker  on  his  westward  migrations.  Indeed, 
allowing  for  the  natural  changes  from  generation  to 
generation  on  grounds  of  '^decency  and  comfort", 
one  could  see  in  almost  every  Iowa  Quaker  com- 
munity those  who  bore  in  nearly  every  detail,  aside 
from  silk  stockings  and  knee  breeches,  the  appear- 
ance of  the  Quakers  of  two  hundred  years  before. 
It  has  been  suggested  that  the  maintenance  of  sim- 
plicity here  by  the  Quakers  was  due,  perhaps,  more 
to  the  natural  limitations  attendant  upon  pioneer 
life  than  to  matters  of  conscience  or  custom ;  but  this 
is  far  from  the  truth.  To  the  Quaker  mind  costume 
had  a  distinct  significance  and  meaning.  This  was 
his  badge  which  was  both  to  distinguish  him  from 
other  men  and  to  protect  him  from  the  evil  influences 
of  the  world ;  for,  thought  he,  no  Quaker  wearing  this 
well-known  costume  would  sully  it  by  appearing  in 
questionable  places  or  company,  nor  would  evil  men 
tempt  such  to  do  wrong.    The  wearing  of  the  coat  of 


QUAKER  MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  271 

peculiar  cut,  therefore,  found  its  way  into  the 
Society's  discipline;  and  the  children  as  well  as  the 
grown  folks  were  required  to  don  the  garb,  being 
carefully  instructed  as  to  its  moral  value  and 
meaning. 

Again,  the  wearing  of  the  Quaker  hat  has  long 
been  a  puzzle  to  the  outside  world.  Are  its  broad 
brim  and  high  crown  of  really  grave  concern  1  Why 
would  not  the  Quaker  remove  his  hat  in  the  presence 
of  ladies  or  men  of  note,  or  in  his  own  meetings  for 
worship!  As  with  other  curious  Quaker  customs, 
this,  too,  had  its  meaning.  To  lift  or  doif  the  hat 
was  once  a  sign  of  servile  regard,  or  at  least  of 
personal  respect.  With  his  firm  belief  in  the  abso- 
lute equality  of  man,  the  Quaker  could  not  show  any 
such  regard  either  to  civil  officer,  priest,  or  king.  As 
for  religious  meetings,  there  the  Quaker  continued 
to  wear  his  hat,  seeing  no  reason  why  he  should 
remove  it  even  during  a  sermon,  for  such  came  from 
the  lips  of  a  man;  but  when  he  addressed  God  in 
prayer,  then  all  arose,  removed  their  hats  and  stood 
uncovered  before  the  one  supreme  being. 

Another  custom  which  marked  the  Quakers  as 
peculiar  was  their  use  of  the  pronouns  ^Hhou"  and 
^^thee"  instead  of  the  pronoun  ^^you" — which,  it 
was  said,  came  to  be  used  on  account  of  man's  desire 
to  be  flattered.^2^  In  England,  *^thou''  was  the  form 
of  address  of  a  lord  to  a  servant,  of  an  equal  to  an 
equal,  and  likewise  expressed  companionship,  love, 
permission,  defiance,  or  scorn;  while  ^^ye"  or  ^^you'' 
was  the  language  of  a  servant  to  a  lord  and  ex- 


272  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

pressed  compliance,  honor,  submission,  or  en- 
treaty.^-^  The  Quakers  insisted  upon  the  use  of  the 
former  terms  in  personal  address;  and  they  would 
not  use  the  latter.  Against  this  custom  priests, 
and  officers,  and  nobility  stormed,  and  Quakers  by 
the  thousands  were  thrown  into  prison  for  insolence 
and  contempt;  but  to  maintain  their  convictions  of 
human  equality  they  willingly  suffered  in  silence. 
Naturally,  as  the  Quakers  spread  throughout  the 
world  they  continued  to  use  both  at  home  and  abroad 
this  simple  form  of  address,  which  to  them  is  full  of 
historic  meaning. 

Following  this  use  of  terms  of  address  came 
others,  and  for  similar  reasons.  The  term  ^'Mister'' 
was  rejected  on  the  ground  that  it  was  but '' Master  ^^ 
corrupted,  and  savored  of  servility;  and  instead  the 
Quakers  addressed  people  by  their  given  name,  as 
John  or  Mary  —  though  they  had  no  compunctions 
about  using  an  official  title  such  as  President  or 
Governor,  since  this  usage  was  sanctioned  by  the 
scriptures. ^•^'^  Furthermore,  the  common  saluta- 
tions of  '^good  morning '^  or  ''good-bye"  were  like- 
wise rejected;  for,  said  the  Quakers,  ''all  times  are 
good  in  the  providence  of  God'\  In  place  of  such 
expressions  they  simply  inquired  after  each  other  ^s 
interests  with  such  a  query  as  "how  art  thouT',  or 
in  parting  they  said  ' '  farewell ' '. 

Peculiar  in  these  respects,  the  Quakers  have  been 
singular  in  others.  At  the  time  of  the  rise  of  the 
Society  funerals  were  occasions  for  pageantry  and 
worldly  show  in  honor  of  the  dead.    Against  all  this 


QUAKER  MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  273 

the  Quaker  sense  of  propriety  naturally  revolted, 
since  to  them  a  funeral  seemed  an  occasion  for 
deepest  reflection.  As  time  went  on  a  general  order 
or  system  for  such  occasions  was  adopted  and  be- 
came a  fixed  part  of  the  Quaker  discipline.  In  Iowa 
the  procedure  was  very  simple.  The  body  of  the 
dead  was  placed  in  a  plain  board  coffin  and  borne 
from  the  home  to  the  meeting-house  in  silence,  the 
attending  relatives  and  friends  showing  no  outward 
signs  of  grief  by  means  of  crepe  or  *^  mourning 
habits"  (clothing).  When  the  coffin  was  placed  be- 
fore the  assembled  audience,  a  period  of  silence 
ensued,  though  this  might  be  broken  by  anyone  at 
any  time  with  fitting  exhortation  or  prayer.  In  due 
time  the  coffin  was  then  borne  to  the  open  grave, 
where  a  pause  was  again  observed  —  this  time 
primarily  to  call  the  attention  of  all  to  **the  un- 
certainty and  short  continuance  of  life,  and  the 
wisdom  there  would  be  in  a  preparation  for 
death  ".431 

In  the  beginnings  of  the  order  in  England,  the 
Quakers,  refusing  to  accept  the  services  of  the 
established  church,  buried  their  dead  ^4n  their 
gardens,  or  orchards,  or  in  the  fields  and  premises 
of  one  another "."^^^  But  as  time  went  on  they 
secured  their  own  burying  grounds,  in  which  mem- 
bers were  interred  without  expense,  the  burials  being 
made  in  regular  rows  in  order  of  death  irrespective 
of  family  ties.  This  system  long  prevailed,  being 
followed,  indeed,  during  the  early  years  in  Iowa.  In 
the  early  days  gravestones  were  not  used  —  though 

18 


274  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

a  careful  record  was  kept  of  all  burials.  But  it 
appears  that  by  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century 
the  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting  had  provided  in  its 
discipline  that  ^'if  a  plain  stone  [native  to  the 
country]  should  be  set  to  the  grave,  it  should  not 
exceed  twelve  inches  in  height  or  width,  and  contain 
only  the  name,  date  of  the  decease,  and  age".^^^ 
Then  came  a  more  liberal  provision  in  the  discipline 
adopted  by  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  in  1865,  limit- 
ing the  size  of  such  gravestones  to  "not  to  exceed 
two  feet  in  height',  and  allowing  "such  slight  addi- 
tions as  may  be  desired,  simply  to  define  the  relation 
of  the  deceased" ;^^^  while  now  there  are  no  re- 
strictions imposed  by  the  Iowa  Orthodox  Friends. 
The  manner  in  which  the  Society  of  Friends  long- 
held  its  members  to  circumspection  in  temporal 
affairs  and  to  communal  harmony  is  also  interesting. 
Once  each  year  the  following  "Query",  as  the  basis 
of  operations,  was  read  in  both  the  Preparative  and 
Monthly  Meetings  and  answered  in  writing : 

Are  Friends  careful  to  live  within  the  bounds  of  their 
circumstances,  and  to  avoid  involving  themselves  in  business 
beyond  their  ability  to  manage;  or  in  hazardous  or  specu- 
lative trade  ?  Are  they  just  in  their  dealings,  and  punctual 
in  complying  with  their  contracts  and  engagements ;  and  in 
paying  their  debts  seasonably  ^^^^ 

Furthermore,  it  was  provided  that  where  there 
existed  any  "reasonable  grounds  for  fear  in  these 
respects",  the  overseers  were  to  deal  with  such 
persons  "seasonably",  and  proceed  as  conditions 
seemed  to  require.    It  was  due  largely  to  this  over- 


QUAKER  MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  275 

sight  or  supervision  for  generations  that  the 
^^ Quaker's  word  was  considered  as  good  as  his 
bond ' '  in  money  matters. 

In  like  manner,  every  precaution  was  used  by  the 
heads  of  the  church  to  see  that  differences  or  mis- 
understandings among  the  membership  did  not  find 
their  way  to  the  courts  of  law.  When  such  diffi- 
culties did  arise,  the  party  who  felt  himself  ag- 
grieved was  expected  to  ^^  calmly  and  kindly,  request 
the  other  to  comply  with  the  demand' ';  and  if  re- 
fused, he  was  to  take  with  him  one  or  more  of  the 
overseers  and  in  their  presence  repeat  to  the  offend- 
ing party  his  demand.  Then,  if  the  difficulty  still 
remained  unsettled,  the  parties  concerned  were 
required  to  choose  a  number  of  impartial  Friends  as 
arbitrators,  and  mutually  agree  by  bond  or  written 
agreement  to  abide  by  their  decision.  A  full  and 
fair  hearing  was  then  given  to  the  parties  in  the 
presence  of  each  other,  whereupon  the  arbitrators 
after  mutual  consultation  apart  gave  their  united 
opinion.  If  either  of  the  parties  refused  to  abide  by 
this  opinion  he  was  to  be  ^*  complained  of"  and  dealt 
with  in  the  usual  manner  of  procedure  by  that  body, 
even  to  the  extent  of  disownment.^^^  In  any  case,  to 
proceed  at  law  a  member  was  required  to  first  secure 
the  consent  of  the  Monthly  Meeting  after  a  thorough 
investigation  of  the  case ;  and  to  do  so  without  such 
consent,  whether  he  was  right  or  wrong,  was  in  itself 
a  disownable  offense. 

The  attitude  of  the  Quakers  relative  to  music, 
dancing,  the  theater,  and  fiction,  is  also  worth  noting. 


276  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  until  recent  years  (and 
then  the  change  was  only  among  the  progressive 
sect)  the  Quakers  have  been  a  songless  people  except 
in  their  homes.  Not  that  the  Friends  have  ever  been 
insensible  to  music  as  an  art,  but  they  opposed  it 
because  of  the  excessive  amount  of  time  consumed 
in  acquiring  proficiency  in  an  art  which  administered 
to  purely  aesthetic  pleasure.  So  far  as  music  in 
their  meetings  for  worship  was  concerned,  the  very 
thought  was  incompatible  with  their  idea  of  waiting 
upon  the  Lord  in  silence  for  His  divine  direction. 

For  far  more  serious  reasons  did  the  Quakers 
discard  dancing,  the  theater,  and  fiction.  To  them, 
the  gaiety  of  the  ball  room  and  the  movement  of  men 
and  women  in  close  bodily  contact  seemed  to  be  the 
most  conducive  means  for  awakening  the  human 
passions  and  evil  desires.  To  this  objection  were 
added  the  unseemly  hours  usually  kept  by  dancers, 
together  with  the  physical  exhaustion  which  fol- 
lowed, the  vain  attention  given  to  attire,  the  jeal- 
ousies and  envy  aroused  in  the  bidding  for  personal 
attention,  and  the  evil  excesses  which  so  frequently 
attended  such  occasions.  These,  one  and  all,  they 
held  to  be  ill  calculated  to  foster  and  preserve  the 
more  sensitive  promptings  of  the  soul,  or  the  purity 
of  the  mind;  and  in  consequence  dancing  was  early 
placed  under  the  ban  in  their  discipline.  In  like 
manner  the  Quakers  from  the  time  of  George  Fox  to 
the  present  have  held  theater-going  to  be  a  diversion 
warranting  disownment.  The  intrigue  and  trickery 
without  due  punishment  so  often  portrayed,  and  the 


QUAKER  MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  277 

unnatural  excitement  and  feeling  aroused  almost 
invariably  disqualified  the  habitual  attender,  so  the 
Quakers  conceived,  for  the  more  substantial  and 
particularly  the  religious  attitude  of  mind,  and  so  it 
could  not  be  countenanced. 

While  not  condemning  all  fiction,  that  of  a  light, 
worthless,  and  trashy  character  was  among  them 
scrupulously  guarded  against.  All  through  the  early 
years  in  Iowa  each  of  the  Monthly  Meetings  main- 
tained a  committee  to  inspect  the  books  and  papers 
that  came  into  the  homes,  and  to  advise  against  any 
that  might  appear  to  be  harmful.  To  encourage 
good  reading,  large  numbers  of  books  were  sent  to 
these  western  settlements  by  interested  Friends  in 
the  East  and  in  England,  so  that  almost  every 
Monthly  Meeting  had  a  library  of  the  standard 
Quaker  works,  free  for  the  use  of  all;  and,  as  indi- 
cated by  the  records,  they  were  widely  read  and 
appreciated.^^"^ 

To  be  sure,  most  of  the  manners  and  customs  once 
peculiar  to  the  Quakers  have  almost  disappeared 
among  the  Friends  in  Iowa,  and  the  rigid  application 
of  the  policy  of  disownment  for  trivial  breaches  of 
order  has  broken  down.  Still,  to  a  large  extent, 
**  plainness  in  dress  and  address '^  is  practiced  among 
the  Wilburites  and  Conservatives  of  this  State. 
Among  the  Orthodox  body,  the  plain  Quaker  costume 
and  the  *^thou^'  or  ^^thee'^  are  the  exceptions  rather 
than  the  rule,  and  seldom  are  either  observed  among 
the  young;  while  the  matter  of  amusements,  though 
still  discussed,*^^  is  but  little  regulated  by  the  church. 


QUAKER  HOME  LIFE 

Feom  the  founding  of  their  Society  to  the  present 
time  the  Friends  have  been  a  people  mnch  attached 
to  their  homes,  not  seeking  their  pleasures  in  the 
diversions  of  the  outside  world.  Home  life  to  them 
has  always  stood  next  to  religion. 

Sedate  and  reserved  as  the  Quaker  appeared  to 
the  world,  when  met  and  known  in  his  home  he 
proved  to  be  one  of  the  most  congenial  of  men. 
Within  the  domestic  circle  there  was  not  the  slight- 
est show  of  formality;  and  the  guest  who  came, 
whether  high  or  low,  was  received  on  a  par  with  the 
members  of  the  family  and  given  the  heartiest  of 
welcomes.  Along  with  the  kindnesses  or  attentions 
shown  there  was  no  attempt  at  strained  entertain- 
ment; for  the  guest  was  fully  expected  to  indulge 
himself  as  he  pleased,  while  the  necessary  work  of 
the  house  or  of  the  farm  went  on  as  usual.  Above  all, 
the  guest  was  told,  after  the  Quaker  manner,  ^^to  be 
free'',  and  that  to  ask  for  what  he  wanted  was  but  to 
show  agreeable  contentment.  Their  hospitality  was 
born  of  the  long  custom  among  themselves  of  fre- 
quent and  uninvited  visiting,  especially  in  this 
western  country. 

To    the    visitor    from    the    world    conversation 

278 


QUAKER  HOME  LIFE  279 

among  the  Friends  seemed  limited,  for  rarely  did 
they  discuss  topics  of  common  political  or  social 
concern:  their  chief  interest  was  in  church  and 
neighborhood  affairs.  With  them  it  was  not  un- 
common, while  sitting  together,  for  a  long  period  of 
silence  or  religious  reflection  to  occur,  which  often- 
times ended  with  prayer  or  religious  discussion 
without  the  slightest  reserve.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  Quakers  had  a  wit  and  humor  all  their  own, 
which  not  infrequently  displayed  itself.  Seldom 
making  use  of  sarcasm  or  hurtful  personal  reference, 
the  Quaker  joke  in  anecdote  form  is  thoroughly  en- 
joyable. Much  of  their  humor  concerned  itself  with 
amusing  incidents  known  to  have  occurred  —  such  as 
the  story  of  the  eccentric  old  Quaker  who  refused  to 
allow  his  wife  to  grow  red  roses  in  her  garden 
because  they  reminded  him  of  the  devil,  while  at  the 
same  time  she  might  raise  as  many  white  roses  as 
she  wanted  to;  or  that  of  the  old  Quaker  preacher 
who  contended  that  his  was  the  best  example  of  a 
pure  and  unadulterated  Gospel,  because  he  could 
neither  read  nor  write.^^^ 

Noticeable,  too,  in  general  was  the  simple  plain- 
ness in  the  furnishings  of  the  Quaker  home.  The 
Quakers  were  trained  to  this  principle,  for  back  in 
New  England  the  ancestors  of  the  Iowa  Friends  had 
been  taught  through  disciplinary  requirement  to 
^^keep  to  plainness  in  household  stuff  and  furniture 
.  .  .  .  avoiding  in  particular  Striped  and  Flow- 
ered Bed  or  Window  hangings  of  Divers  Colours, 
and  Quilts.     Counter  paines   and   Table   Carpetts 


280  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

[cloths],  of  like  gaudy  Colours  &  Double  Valiants 
[drapings]  and  fringes '^  and  especially  that  ^^all 
Friends  that  have  vessells  of  Silver  do  not  set  them 
up  in  any  publick  place  nor  no  other  flowered  painted 
vessells,  seeming  more  to  bee  seen  than  other- 
wise''.^^^  Nothing  was  to  be  kept  for  mere  show, 
not  even  pictures  or  paintings;  and  even  in  Iowa 
to-day,  among  the  more  conservative  members  of  the 
Society,  what  few  pictures  there  are  to  be  found  are 
almost  invariably  of  a  simple  religious  character, 
set  in  inexpensive  frames. 

Lacking  in  expensive  furniture  though  they  were, 
one  thing  almost  invariably  attracted  the  visitor's 
eye  in  the  Quaker's  home,  namely,  his  collection  of 
books.  Among  those  old-time  leather-bound,  or 
black  cloth-covered,  volumes  one  would  seldom  find 
the  recognized  masterpieces  of  the  world's  litera- 
ture; but,  on  the  other  hand,  seldom  was  there 
lacking  a  copy  of  George  Fox's  Journal,  Barclay's 
Apology,  or  the  writings  of  William  Penn.  A  glance 
at  the  family  calendar  would  also  be  of  interest,  for, 
much  to  the  surprise  of  one  untutored  in  the  Quaker 
ways,  he  would  find  the  common  names  of  the  days 
and  months  all  missing,  and  in  their  places  the 
simple  system  of  numeration.  First  Day,  Second 
Day,  Third  Day,  and  so  on,  or  First  Month,  Second 
Month,  and  so  on  to  the  end.  On  inquiry  for  the 
cause  of  this  strange  custom  the  unembarrassed 
reply  would  be  that  the  common  names  of  the  days 
and  months  were  of  pagan  origin,  except  for  the 
months  of  September,  October,  November,  and  De- 


QUAKER  HOME  LIFE  281 

cember,  which  were  intended  in  the  Latin  to  stand 
for  the  seventh,  eighth,  ninth,  and  tenth  months  of 
the  year,  but  in  the  change  of  the  calendar  these 
appellations  were  made  incorrect,  and  were  in  conse- 
quence rejected  by  the  Quakers.^*^ 

Of  no  less  interest  were  meal-times  among  the 
Friends;  for  with  the  abundance  of  simple  but 
wholesome  food  and  the  good  cheer  that  prevailed, 
the  visitor  was  always  welcome,  whoever  he  might 
be.  Little  given  to  superfluity  of  any  kind,  the  ques- 
tion of  saying  grace  at  the  table  was  a  serious  one, 
for,  thought  they,  better  nothing  said  than  that 
which  came  not  from  a  reverent  and  honest  heart. 
In  consequence  it  was  their  custom  when  all  were 
seated  to  observe  a  time  of  meditative  silence,  and  if 
any  one  were  moved  to  vocal  utterance,  he  should 
prove  obedient  to  his  promptings.  Not  infrequently 
it  occurred  that  for  days  or  even  weeks  at  a  time  no 
grace  was  said;  but  when  it  came,  or  come  as  fre- 
quently as  it  might,  it  was  almost  invariably  sincere 
in  tone  and  free  from  stereotyped  expressions. 

Thus  have  the  Quakers  lived  in  contentment, 
peace,  and  plenty.  Patiently  have  they  toiled  and 
worshipped.  Bravely,  too,  have  they  met  their 
problems,  conscious  of  a  mission  and  a  given  end  and 
destiny.  Through  all  the  storms  of  their  troubled 
course,  nothing  has  seemed  permanently  to  disturb 
them :  nothing  has  destroyed  their  faith.  Well  have 
they  served  the  world,  queer  though  they  may  have 
seemed  to  be. 


APPENDICES 


283 


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APPENDIX  C 

EULES  AND  REGULATIONS  OF  THE 
STAVANGER  BOARDING  SCHOOL 

The  following  rules  and  regulations  were  in  force 
at  the  Friends'  Boarding  School  at  Stavanger,  Iowa, 
during  the  year  1910-1911: 

FIEST 

*^  Students  will  be  expected  to  show  due  respect 
for  the  officers  and  teachers  of  the  institution  and 
for  each  other,  giving  cheerful  compliance  to  the 
rules  and  regulations  of  the  same. 

SECOND 

^^All  persons  connected  with  the  school  are  ex- 
pected to  attend  meetings  for  worship  at  the  Friends 
meeting  house  nearby,  on  First  and  Fifth  days  of 
the  week,  conducting  themselves  in  a  manner  be- 
coming the  occasion. 

THIKD 

^^  Visiting  will  not  be  expected  in  or  about  the 
building  on  the  1st  day  of  the  week  and  pupils  are 
not  to  leave  the  premises  without  permission. 

SIXTH 

*^It  will  be  expected  that  the  pupils   use  the 

287 


288  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

English  language  in  their  general  intercourse  among 
themselves  and  others,  and  in  the  use  of  language  it 
is  requested  that  the  correct  form  [thou  and  thee]  in 
regard  to  which  Friends  bear  a  testimony  and  is  set 
forth  in  the  Holy  Scripture. 

SEVENTH 

^  ^  Students  are  respectfully  requested  to  dispense 
with  such  apparel,  jewelry  and  fashionable  customs 
inconsistent  with  true  simplicity  which  the  com- 
mittee superintendent  and  matron  shall  indicate. 


NINTH 

*^  Tobacco  in  any  form,  chewing  gum,  musical 
instruments  and  firearms  are  strictly  forbidden,  and 
any  reading  matter  found  in  the  possession  of  the 
pupils  or  anything  being  practiced  which  the  com- 
mittee or  care  takers  consider  objectionable  are  to 
be  removed. '' 


APPENDIX  D 
QUAKER  QUERIES 

The  following  ^^ Queries''  were  read  annually 
before  each  Preparative  and  Monthly  Meeting  of 
Friends,  and  were  answered  in  writing  as  prescribed 
by  the  Discipline  of  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting,  1854, 
pp.  81,  82.  Practically  the  same  queries  are  used 
among  all  branches  of  the  Friends  in  Iowa  to-day. 

*^  First  Query. —  Are  all  the  meetings  for  wor- 
ship and  discipline  attended!  Do  Friends  avoid 
unbecoming  behavior  therein!  And  is  the  hour  of 
meeting  observed! 

^^  Second. —  Are  Friends  preserved  in  christian 
love  one  toward  another!  Are  tale-bearing  and  de- 
traction discouraged!  And  when  differences  arise, 
are  endeavors  used  speedily  to  end  them! 

^ '  Third. —  Do  Friends  endeavor,  by  example  and 
precept,  to  educate  their  children,  and  those  under 
their  care,  in  the  principles  of  the  Christian  re- 
ligion, and  in  plainness  of  speech,  deportment,  and 
apparel!  Do  they  guard  them  against  reading  per- 
nicious books,  and  from  corrupt  conversation !  And 
are  they  encouraged  to  read  the  Holy  Scriptures 
diligently! 

^'Fourth. —  Are  Friends  clear  of  importing, 
vending,  distilling,  and  the  unnecessary  use  of  all 

19  289 


290  THE  QUAKERS  OP  IOWA 

intoxicating  liquors!  And  attending  circus-shows 
and  other  places  of  diversion?  And  do  they  observe 
moderation  and  temperance  on  all  occasions  ? 

^*  Fifth. —  Are  the  necessities  of  the  poor,  and 
the  circumstances  of  those  who  may  appear  likely  to 
require  aid,  inspected  and  relieved?  Are  they  ad- 
vised and  assisted  in  such  employments  as  they  are 
capable  of;  and  is  due  care  taken  to  promote  the 
school-education  of  their  children? 

^' Sixth. —  Do  Friends  maintain  a  testimony 
against  priests'  and  ministers'  wages?  Against 
Slavery;  oaths;  bearing  arms,  and  all  military  ser- 
vices; trading  in  goods  taken  in  war;  and  against 
lotteries  ? 

^*  Seventh. —  Are  Friends  careful  to  live  within 
the  bounds  of  their  circumstances,  and  to  avoid  in- 
volving themselves  in  business  beyond  their  ability 
to  manage;  or  in  hazardous  or  speculative  trade? 
Are  they  just  in  their  dealings,  and  punctual  in  com- 
plying with  their  contracts  and  engagements ;  and  in 
paying  their  debts  seasonably?  And  where  any  give 
reasonable  grounds  for  fear  in  these  respects,  is  due 
care  extended  to  them? 

^ '  Eighth. —  Is  care  taken  to  deal  with  offenders 
seasonably  and  impartially,  and  to  endeavor  to 
evince  to  those  who  will  not  be  reclaimed,  the  spirit 
of  meekness  and  love,  before  judgment  is  placed 
upon  them?'' 


APPENDIX  E 
QUAKER  MARRIAGE  CERTIFICATE 

The  following  is  the  accustomed  form  of  the 
Quaker  marriage  certificate  as  prescribed  by  the 
Indiana  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends  in  its  Discipline 
for  1854,  p.  53 : 

''Whereas,  A.  B.  of in  the  county  of 

,  in  the  state  of son  of  C.  and 

H.  B.  of ;  and  D.  E.  daughter  of  F.  and 

G.  E.  of having  declared  their  intentions 

of  marriage  with  each  other,  before  a  Monthly 
meeting  of  the  religious  society  of  Friends,  held  at 

(where  the  parties  are  under  the  care  of 

parents  or  guardians,  unless  in  the  case  of  un- 
reasonable objections,  add)  and  having  consent  of 
parents  or  guardians  concerned,  (as  the  case  may 
be)  their  proposals  of  marriage  were  allowed  by  said 
meeting.  These  are  to  certify  whom  it  may  concern, 
that  for  the  full  accomplishment  of  their  said  inten- 
tions, this day  of  the month, 

in  the  year  of  our  Lord ,  they,  the  said  A.  B. 

and  D.  E.  appeared  in  a  public  meeting  of  the  said 

people,  held  at aforesaid;  and  the  said 

A.  B.  taking  the  said  D.  E.  by  the  hand,  declared  that 
he  took  her  to  be  his  wife,  promising,  with  divine 
assistance,  to  be  unto  her  a  loving  and  faithful  hus- 

291 


292  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

band,  until  death  should  separate  them :  and  then  the 
said  D.  E.  did  in  like  manner  declare,  that  she  took 
him  the  said  A.  B.  to  be  her  husband,  promising,  with 
divine  assistance,  to  be  unto  him  a  loving  and  faith- 
ful wife,  until  death  should  separate  them.  And 
moreover,  they,  the  said  A.  B.  and  D.  E.  (she  accord- 
ing to  the  custom  of  marriage  adopting  the  name  of 
her  husband)  did,  as  a  further  confirmation  thereof, 
then  and  there,  to  these  presents  set  their  hands. 

A.  B. 

D.  B. 
^'And  we,  whose  names  are  also  hereunto  sub- 
scribed, being  present  at  the  solemnization  of  the 
said  marriage  have,  as  witnesses  thereto,  set  our 
hands  the  day  and  year  above  written.'' 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES 
PART  I 

CHAPTER  I 

1  In  1698  William  Penn,  the  founder  of  Pennsylvania,  published  a 
little  book  entitled  Primitive  Christianity  Bevived.  This  book  has 
always  been  acknowledged  by  the  Society  of  Friends  as  a  clear  and 
candid,  though  brief,  exposition  of  its  beliefs  upon  the  great  and 
cardinal  principles  of  Christianity.  It  shows  clearly  that  the  message 
of  the  Quakers  was  the  plain  Gospel  message  of  the  primitive  church. 

2  Some  idea  of  the  extent  to  which  the  Friends  suffered  for  the 
sake  of  their  testimonies  may  be  gained  by  the  following  facts: 

During  a  period  of  twenty-five  years  under  Charles  II  it  is  said 
that  there  were  ' '  13,562  Friends  ....  imprisoned  in  various 
parts  of  England,  198  were  transported  as  slaves  beyond  seas,  and  338 
died  in  prison  or  of  wounds  received  in  violent  assaults  on  their 
meetings. ' ' —  Quoted  from  William  Beck 's  The  Friends,  p.  65,  in  The 
American  Church  History  Series,  Vol.  XII,  p.  204. 

During  the  American  Revolution  the  Quakers  were  again  subjected 
to  the  most  bitter  persecutions  because  of  their  refusal  to  serve  in  the 
army  or  pay  war  tithes.  In  one  Quarterly  Meeting  alone  in  Pennsyl- 
vania over  $68,000  was  levied  between  1778  and  1786  in  fines  against 
members  of  the  order. —  See  Sharpless  's  A  History  of  Qualcer  Govern- 
ment in  Fennsylva7iia,  Vol.  II,  p.  177. 

3  In  America  the  relative  numerical  strength  of  the  Quakers  to 
other  religious  denominations  is  shown  by  the  following  statistical 
table  found  in  The  American  Year  Boole  for  1910,  p.  735. 


RANK  IN 

DENOMINATIONS 

1909 

COMMUNICANTS 

Roman  Catholic 

1 

12,354,596 

Methodist  Episcopal 

2 

3,159,913 

Regular  Baptist   (South) 

3 

2,139,080 

Regular  Baptist  (Colored) 

4 

1,874,261 

Methodist  Episcopal  (South) 

5 

1,780,778 

Presbyterian  (Northern) 

6 

1,311,828 

Disciples  of  Christ 

7 

1,273,357 

295 


296 


THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 


RANK  IN 

DENOMINATIONS 

1909 

COMMUNICANTS 

Regular  Baptist   (North) 

■8 

1,176,380 

Protestant  Episcopal 

9 

912,123 

Congregationalist 

10 

732,500 

Lutheran  Synodical  Conference 

11 

726,526 

African  Methodist  Episcopal  (Zion) 

12 

545,681 

Lutheran  General  Council 

13 

452,818 

African  Methodist  Episcopal 

14 

452,126 

Latter-Day  Saints 

15 

350,000 

Reformed  (German) 

16 

293,836 

United  Brethren 

17 

285,019 

Lutheran  General  Synod 

18 

284,805 

Presbyterian   (Southern) 

19 

269,733 

German  Evangelical  Synod 

20 

249,137 

Colored  Methodist  Episcopal 

21 

233,911 

Methodist  Protestant 

22 

188,122 

United  Norwegian  Lutheran 

23 

160,645 

Spiritualists 

24 

150,000 

United  Presbyterian 

25 

132,925 

Greek  Orthodox   (Catholic) 

26 

130,000 

Lutheran  Synod  of  Ohio 

27 

120,031 

Reformed  Dutch 

28 

116,174 

Evangelical   Association 

29 

106,957 

Primitive  Baptist 

30 

102,311 

Society  of  Friends   (Orthodox) 

31 

*100,072 

*In  1910. 

4  In  a  little  pamphlet  of  sixteen  pages,  written  by  Dr.  David  Gregg, 
and  entitled  The  Qual'ers  as  MaTcers  of  America,  there  is  an  excellent 
summary  of  the  contributions  which  the  Quakers  have  made  to  society. 

5  Fox's  Journal  (Philadelphia),  p.  55. 

6  Fox's  Journal  (Philadelphia),  p.  xxiv. 

7  Fox's  Journal  (Philadelphia),  pp.  56,  57,  58. 

8  Fox's  Journal  (Philadelphia),  pp.  59,  60. 

9  Fox's  Journal  (Philadelphia),  p.  60. 

10  In  October,  1650,  George  Fox  was  confined  in  the  house  of  cor- 
rection at  Derby,  where  he  remained  for  a  period  of  six  months,  on  a 
charge  of  blasphemy.  While  in  confinement  there  he  wrote  to  the 
several  priests  and  magistrates  who  had  been  responsible  for  his  im- 
prisonment, warning  them  of  the  judgments  of  God  which  would 
come  upon  them,  and  bidding  them  to  "tremble  at  the  word  of  the 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  297 


Lord".  Justice  Bennett,  one  of  the  magistrates  thus  addressed, 
picked  up  the  phrase  and  called  Fox  and  his  followers  '* Quakers". 
Like  most  catch-words,  the  term  soon  became  widely  used,  usually  in 
derision..  The  Friends,  however,  early  termed  themselves  '' Children 
of  Light " ;  a  little  later  they  adopted  the  name  ' '  Friends  of  Truth ' ' ; 
and  finally  they  chose  the  term  ''The  Eeligious  Society  of  Friends", 
which  is  generally  used  as  the  ofl&cial  title  of  the  Society.  The  terms 
''Quaker"  and  "Friend",  however,  are  used  interchangeably  among 
the  members  of  the  order. 

11  Green's  A  Short  History  of  the  English  People,  pp.  447,  449. 

12  Fox's  Journal  (Philadelphia),  pp.  xxvi,  xxvii. 

13  Fox's  Journal  (Philadelphia),  pp.  157,  647. 

14  For  an  account  of  the  work  of  the  Friends  in  Europe  see  Braith- 
waite  's  The  Beginnings  of  QuaTcerism,  Ch.  XVI. 

15  In  1671  George  Fox,  accompanied  by  a  number  of  Friends, 
visited  Barbadoes  for  the  purpose  of  spreading  the  Gospel.  After 
laboring  there  several  weeks  they  w^ent  to  Jamaica,  and  remained 
there  for  about  seven  weeks  before  coming  to  America.  In  his  recent 
work  on  The  QuaJcers  in  the  American  Colonies,  p.  26,  Eufus  M.  Jones 
says,  "The  island  of  Barbadoes  was,  during  the  seventeenth  century, 
the  great  port  of  entry  to  the  colonies  in  the  western  world,  and  it  was 
during  the  last  half  of  that  century,  a  veritable  'hive'  of  Quakerism. 
Friends  wishing  to  reach  any  part  of  the  American  coast,  sailed  most 
frequently  for  Barbadoes  and  then  reshipped  for  their  definite  locality. 
They  generally  spent  some  weeks,  or  months  even,  propagating  their 
doctrines  in  'the  island'  and  ordinarily  paying  visits  to  Jamaica  and 
often  to  Antiqua,  Nevis,  and  Bermuda." 

CHAPTER  II 

16  Quoted  in  Jones's  The  Quakers  in  the  American  Colonies,  p.  28. 
See  also  Ellis's  The  Puritan  Age  in  Massachusetts,  16S9-1685,  pp. 
436,  437. 

17  A  part  of  the  law  passed  against  the  Quakers  on  October  14, 
1656,  reads  as  follows: 

' '  Whereas  there  is  a  cursed  sect  of  haereticks  lately  risen  up  in  the 
world,  which  are  commonly  called  Quakers,  who  take  uppon  them  to  be 
immediately   sent   of   God,   and  infallibly   assisted   by   the   spirit   to 


298  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

speake  and  write  blasphemouth  opinions,  despising  government  and 
the  order  of  God  in  church  and  commonwealth,  speaking  evill  of  digni- 
ties, reproaching  and  reviling  magistrates  and  ministers,  seeking  to 
turne  the  people  from  the  faith  and  gaine  proselites  to  theire  per- 
nicious waies,  this  Court,  taking  into  serious  consideration  the  prem- 
ises, and  to  prevent  the  like  mischiefe  as  by  their  meanes  is  wrought 
in  our  native  land,  doth  heereby  order,  and  by  the  authoritie  of  this 
Court  be  it  ordered  and  enacted,  that  any  commander  of  a  vessel  that 
shall  bring  into  this  jurisdiction  any  knowne  Quaker  or  Quakers,  or 
any  other  blasphemous  haereticks  as  aforesaid,  shall  pay  the  fine  of 
100  pounds,  except  it  appeare  that  he  wanted  true  knowledge  or  in- 
formation of  theire  being  such;  ....  then  to  give  bonds  to 
carry  them  to  the  place  whence  he  brought  them. 

*  *  Any  Quaker  coming  into  this  jurisdiction  shall  be  forthwith  com- 
mitted to  the  house  of  correction,  and  at  their  entrance  to  be  severely 
whipt,  and  by  the  master  thereof  to  be  kept  constantly  to  worke,  and 
none  suffered  to  converse  or  speak  with  them  during  the  time  of  their 
imprisonment,  which  shall  be  no  longer  than  necessitie  requireth. " — 
Ellis's  The  Puritan  Age  in  Massachusetts,  1629-1685,  p.  439. 

18  In  the  General  Court  on  October  14,  1657,  the  following  pro- 
visions were  added  to  the  previous  acts:  that  a  male  Quaker  returning 
after  having  been  once  dealt  with,  should  have  one  ear  cut  off,  and  be 
kept  in  the  house  of  correction  till  he  could  be  sent  away  at  his  own 
charges;  and  for  again  returning,  he  should  lose  the  other  ear.  Every 
woman  Quaker  returning,  was  to  be  whipped  and  kept  at  work  in  the 
house  of  correction  till  removed  at  her  own  charge,  and  the  same  pun- 
ishment was  provided  for  a  repetition  of  the  offense.  Every  Quaker, 
returning  still  a  third  time,  should  have  his  tongue  bored  through 
with  a  hot  iron,  and  again  to  be  sent  off.  The  same  treatment  was  also 
to  be  visited  upon  Puritans  who  turned  Quakers  as  upon  strangers. — 
Ellis's  The  Puritan  Age  in  Massachusetts,  1629-1685,  p.  447. 

19  For  an  account  of  the  struggles  between  the  Puritans  and  the 
Quakers  herein  mentioned,  see  Ellis's  The  Puritan  Age  in  Massachu- 
setts, 1629-1685,  Ch.  XII;  Chandler's  American  Criminal  Trials,  Vol. 
I,  pp.  33-63;  Hallowell's  The  Quaker  Invasion  of  Massachusetts; 
Jones's  The  Qualiers  in  the  American  Colonies,  Book  I,  Chs.  II,  III, 
rV,  V;  and  Fox's  Journal  (Philadelphia),  pp.  346-348. 

20  The  New  England  Yearly  Meeting  was  organized  about  1671. 
See  Friends'  Library,  Vol.  I,  p.  119. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  299 

21  Fox's  Journal  (Philadelphia),  p.  447. 

22  Fox's  Journal  (Philadelphia),  p.  449. 

23  <  <  The  heydey  of  Quakerism  in  the  South  is  indissolubly  con- 
nected with  the  name  of  John  Archdale,  Governor-General  of  Caro- 
lina." See  Weeks 's  Southern  Quakers  and  Slavery,  Ch.  IV.  The 
quotation  is  found  on  p.  50. 

24  Jones's  The  QuaJcers  in  the  American  Colonies,  p.  358. 

25  Sharpless  's  A  History  of  QuaTcer  Government  in  Pennsylvania, 
Vol.  I,  p.  131. 

26Clarkson's  Memoirs  of  the  Public  and  Private  Life  of  William 
Penn,  p.  96. 

27Clarkson's  Memoirs  of  the  Public  and  Private  Life  of  William 
Penn,  p.  97. 

CHAPTEE  III 

28  Weeks 's  Southern  Quakers  and  Slavery,  p.  85. 

29  Weeks 's  Southern  Quakers  and  Slavery,  pp.  96-125. 

30  Quoted  in  Eamsey's  Annals  of  Tennessee,  p.  95. 

31  Thwaites's  Daniel  Boone,  Ch.  I. 

32  Weeks 's  Southern  Quakers  and  Slavery,  p.  252. 

33  Weeks 's  Southern  Quakers  and  Slavery,  p.  253. 

34  The  text  of  the  Ordinance  of  1787,  together  with  a  list  of  refer- 
ences, may  be  found  in  Shambaugh's  Documentary  Material  Belating 
to  the  History  of  Iowa,  Vol.  I,  pp.  47-55. 

35  For  an  excellent  account  of  The  Quakers  in  the  Old  Northwest 
see  Harlow  Lindley's  paper  under  that  title  in  the  Proceedings  of  the 
Mississippi  Valley  Historical  Association  for  1911-1912,  pp.  60-72. 

36  Sharpless 's  A  History  of  Quaker  Government  in  Pennsylvania, 
Vol.  II,  Ch.  X. 

37  Weeks 's  Southern  Quakers  and  Slavery,  p.  307.  See  note,  p.  307, 
taken  from  O'Neall's  Annals  of  Newberry. 

38  For  the  striking  difference  between  the  settlement  of  the  North- 
west Territory  and  that  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  see  Eoosevelt's 
The  Winning  of  the  West  (Prairie  Edition,  1903),  Vol.  V,  pp.  5-7. 


300  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

CHAPTER  IV 

39  Joliet  and  Marquette  were  the  first  white  men  known  to  have 
touched  Iowa.  They  landed  near  the  mouth  of  the  Iowa  River  on 
June  25,  1673.  See  Weld's  Joliet  and  Marquette  in  Iowa  in  The  Iowa 
Journal  of  History  and  Politics,  Vol.  I,  p.  3. 

40  For  a  brief  but  excellent  sketch  of  the  Black  Hawk  War,  see 
Pelzer's  Eenry  Dodge,  Ch.  V. 

41  Newhall  's  Slcetches  of  Iowa,  or  the  Emigrant 's  Guide,  pp.  141, 
142. 

42  During  the  four  years  while  the  writer  has  been  engaged  in  this 
work  he  has  made  numerous  visits  to  Salem  and  has  personally  inter- 
viewed nearly  all  of  the  early  settlers  who  were  still  living  in  the 
vicinity.  He  also  very  carefully  examined  what  accounts  of  the  found- 
ing of  the  town  there  were  in  the  hands  of  Isaac  Pidgeon,  Jr.,  and 
others,  and  he  feels  satisfied  as  to  the  conclusions  drawn. 

43 ' '  It  is  somewhat  remarkable  that  the  father  of  the  present 
Aaron  Street  emigrated  from  Salem,  New  Jersey,  to  S.alem,  Ohio; 
from  Ohio,  father  and  son  came  and  built  up  Salem,  Indiana;  from 
Salem,  Indiana,  the  subject  of  this  article  came  and  built  up  Salem, 
lowai" — Newhall's  Sketches  of  Iowa,  p.  142. 

44  The  sketch  by  Henry  W.  Joy  here  referred  to  bears  no  date,  but 
it  is  apparent  from  his  introductory  statement  that  it  was  written 
towards  the  close  of  his  life.  He  died  at  Salem  on  November  25,  1883, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years. 

45  At  the  Monthly  Meeting  held  at  Salem  on  February  23,  1839, 
that  meeting  received  in  lieu  of  certificates  of  membership  a  list  of 
193  persons  from  the  Vermillion  Monthly  Meeting  who  had  settled  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Salem.  See  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting 
of  Friends,  2  mo.  23rd,  1839,  pp.  11-14. 

46  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  10  mo.,  8th, 
1838,  pp.  1,  2.  ■ 

4T  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  11  mo.,  24th, 
1838,  p.  5. 

48  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  12  mo.,  29th, 
1838,  p.  6.  The  fact  that  there  was  three-fourths  of  a  cent  in  the 
collections  made  by  Henderson  Lewelling  is  explainable  by  the  likeli- 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  301 

hood  that  there  were  three  picayunes  in  the  offering  taken.  The 
picayune  was  a  small  silver  coin  valued  at  six  and  one-fourth  cents, 
which  was  in  circulation  before  the  introduction  of  the  decimal  system 
into  the  United  States  coinage  in  1857.  This  coin  was  known  in  New 
England  as  a  ^'fourpence",  in  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  as  the 
**fip'',  and  in  Louisiana  as  the  ''picayune". 

id  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  12  mo.,  29th, 
1838,  p.  6. 

50  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  11  mo.,  24th, 
1838,  p.  4. 

51  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,   10   mo.,   8th, 

1838,  p.  2;  11  mo.,  24th,  1838,  p.  4. 

^^  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  5  mo.,  25th, 

1839,  pp.  19,  20;  5  mo.,  30th,  1840,  p.  44. 

53]srewhalPs  Sketches  of  Iowa,  pp.  143,  144. 

54  Salem  Weeliy  News,  February  24,  1898. 

CHAPTER  V 

55  Hull 's  Historical  and  Comparative  Census  of  Iowa,  1880,  p.  198. 

56  See  Garver's  History  of  the  Estahlishment  of  Counties  in  Iowa  in 
The  Iowa  Journal  of  History  and  Politics,  Vol.  VI,  pp.  375-456. 

57  Before  proceeding  at  law  against  a  fellow  member,  all  members 
of  the  Society  of  Friends  were  expected  to  obtain  the  advice  and  con- 
sent of  their  Monthly  Meeting.  Every  possible  encouragement  was 
given  for  the  settlement  of  all  disputes  outside  of  the  courts,  and 
(quoting  from  the  Discipline  of  the  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting,  1854,  p. 
48),  "if  any  members  of  our  religious  society,  disregarding  the  gospel 
order  prescribed  by  our  Discipline,  shall  arrest  or  sue  at  law  other 
members  ....  [they]  do  depart  from  the  peaceable  principles 
of  which  we  make  profession:  and  if  on  being  treated  with  by  the 
Monthly  meetings  to  which  they  belong,  they  cannot  be  prevailed  with 
to  withdraw  the  suit,  and  pay  the  costs  thereof,  they  shall  be  dis- 
owned. "  It  is  because  of  this  principle  that  very  few  members  of  the 
Society  have  followed  the  profession  of  law. 

58  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  3  mo.,  30th, 
1839,  p.  16;  4  mo.,  27th,  1839,  p.  17;  1  mo.,  30th,  1841,  pp.  56,  57. 


302  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

59  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  10  mo.,  26th, 
1839,  pp.  29,  30;  11  mo.,  30th,  1839,  p.  31;  1  mo.,  30th,  1841,  p.  57. 

60  For  a  good  account  of  the  Mormon  influence  in  Lee  County  see 
Mormonism  and  Mormon  Outrages  in  The  History  of  Lee  County 
(Chicago:  Western  Historical  Company,  1879),  pp.  465-483. 

61  A  third  very  important  factor  in  the  weakening  of  Quakerism  in 
this  early  center  was  the  planting  of  the  Roman  Catholic  stronghold  at 
Mt.  Hamill  in  the  very  heart  of  the  Quaker  region.  In  late  years 
these  Catholics  have  bought  up  nearly  all  of  the  available  lands  in  the 
vicinity,  and  the  Quakers  have  all  but  disappeared. 

62  William  Scearcy,  a  pioneer  settler  in  both  Jefferson  and  Keokuk 
counties,  writing  late  in  life,  says  that  when  he  returned  in  the  spring 
of  1839  from  the  Illinois  side  to  the  site  of  Pleasant  Plain  where  he 
had  marked  out  a  town  and  sold  lots  he  found  that  the  Quakers  had 
moved  in,  *' taken  advantage  of  my  absence  and  'jumped'  my  claim, 
town  and  all,  and  as  I  could  not  legally  hold  it,  they  would  not  give  it 
up  nor  pay  me  anything  for  what  I  had  done. ' ' —  The  History  of 
KeoTcuJc  County  (Des  Moines:  Union  Historical  Company,  1880),  p. 
286. 

63  Minutes  of  Pleasant  Plain  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  12  mo., 
28th,  1842,  p.  1. 

64  For  the  purpose  of  safeguarding  the  interests  of  the  Society,  it 
has  always  been  the  custom  among  the  Friends  for  members  upon 
moving  into  the  limits  of  another  Monthly  Meeting  to  present  a  letter 
or  certificate  of  good  standing  in  their  home  Monthly  Meeting  before 
being  allowed  to  take  part  in  the  business  of  the  meeting  in  their  new 
home.  Such  certificates  of  membership,  in  a  general  way,  indicate  the 
sections  from  which  the  Quakers  came  to  Iowa,  but  on  account  of  the 
duplication  of  the  names  of  Monthly  Meetings  in  different  States  and 
the  frequent  omission  of  the  names  of  the  States  in  the  entries  on 
local  records,  conclusions  on  this  basis  are  not  always  reliable. 

65  See  The  History  of  KeoTcuTc  County  (Des  Moines:  Union  His- 
torical Company,  1880),  pp.  546,  547. 

66  The  History  of  MahasTca  County  (Des  Moines:  Union  Historical 
Company,  1878),  pp.  367,  368. 

67  For  the  first  settlement  of  Friends  in  Warren  County,  see  The 
History  of  Warren  County  (Des  Moines:  Union  Historical  Company, 
1879),  p.  287. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  303 

68  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  9  mo.,  28tli,  1844, 
p.  222. 

69  Minutes  of  Salem  Quarterly  Meeting  of  Women  Friends,  5  mo., 
20th,  1848,  p.  1.  The  first  book  of  minutes  for  the  Salem  Quarterly 
Meeting  of  [Men]  Friends  is  lost. 

70  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  2  mo.,  28th,  1846, 
p.  279. 

71  Quoted  in  the  Friends'  Beview  (1848),  Vol.  I,  pp.  675,  676. 

CHAPTER  VI 

72  The  movements  of  the  two  English  Friends,  Robert  Lindsey  and 
Benjamin  Seebohm,  among  the  American  Yearly  Meetings  in  1848  are 
noted  in  the  Friends'  Beview,  Vol.  I,  p.  377;  Vol.  II,  p.  227. 

73  Rachel  Kellum,  an  aged  resident  of  Salem  (now  deceased),  some 
years  ago  related  to  the  writer  that  in  the  early  days  her  father  kept  a 
candle  burning  at  night  in  his  window  looking  to  the  eastward,  to 
guide  incoming  travelers  through  the  darkness  to  his  door.  To  make 
the  candles  burn  slowly  a  thin  coating  of  salt  was  sprinkled  around  the 
wick,  and  one  candle  w^ould  usually  burn  through  most  of  the  night. 

74  Joseph  D.  Hoag  was  one  of  the  three  commissioners  appointed  by 
the  General  Assembly  of  Iowa  in  1847  ''to  locate  the  permanent  Seat 
of  Government  of  this  State,  and  to  select  the  lands  granted  by  Con- 
gress to  aid  in  erecting  public  buildings." — Laws  of  Iowa,  1847,  p. 
85.  The  quotations  in  the  text  are  taken  from  a  copy  of  Robert 
Lindsey 's  Journal. 

75  '  <  Appointed  Meetings ' '  were  such  as  the  name  itself  indicates. 
The  minister  in  traveling  from  place  to  place  among  the  Friends  in 
the  early  days  would  usually  have  it  announced  as  he  came  into  a 
community  that  there  w^ould  be  a  meeting  for  worship  either  at  the 
meeting-house  or  at  some  Friend's  home,  to  which  all  would  be  wel- 
comed. At  these  meetings  there  usually  was  preaching  by  the  visiting 
minister,  although  many  times  they  were  held  in  silence.  Protracted 
or  revival  meetings  were  almost  unknown  among  the  Friends  before 
the  last  half  of  the  nineteenth  century.     See  Lindsey 's  Journal. 

76  The  Hollanders  made  their  first  settlements  in  Iowa  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1847.  Pella  was  laid  out  in  September  of  that  year.  See  Van 
der  Zee's  The  Hollanders  of  Iowa,  Ch.  IX. 


304  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

77  Among  the  Friends  such  salutations  as  "good  morning"  or 
"goodbye"  were  seldom  used,  it  being  considered  that  all  things  in 
the  providence  of  God  were  good.  In  place  of  these  expressions,  "is 
thee  well",  or  "farewell",  were  generally,  and  are  still,  used. 

78  The  manuscript  from  which  the  body  of  this  chapter  is  taken  is 
a  copy  of  that  part  of  Eobert  Lindsey  's  Journal  for  1850  which  covers 
his  travels  in  Iowa.  The  copy  mentioned  was  made  from  the  original 
by  Elizabeth  Lindsey  Galleway  of  Yorkshire,  England,  the  daughter 
of  the  late  Eobert  Lindsey,  for  Professor  Rayner  W.  Kelsey  of  Haver- 
ford  College,  Haverford,  Pennsylvania.  Professor  Kelsey  very  kindly 
loaned  the  manuscript  to  the  writer.  A  transcript  was  made  and  is 
now  in  the  possession  of  The  State  Historical  Society  of  Iowa. 

CHAPTER  VII 

79  See  census  returns  of  1910  for  the  States  west  of  the  Mississippi 
River. 

80  Brinton  Darlington,  long  one  of  the  most  prominent  members  of 
the  Red  Cedar  Monthly  Meeting,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1804. 
He  was  successful  in  business,  being  a  partner  in  a  large  woolen  mill. 
This  mill  burned  late  in  1841,  and  Darlington  moved  to  Iowa  with  his 
family  in  the  spring  of  1842. —  Memorials  Concerning  Deceased 
Friends,  Members  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  (Philadelphia,  1872),  pp. 
15,  16. 

See  also  Tatum  's  article  on  the  Early  History  of  the  Settlement  of 
Friends  at  Springdale,  Iowa,  and  their  Meetings,  pasted  in  with  the 
Minutes  of  Springdale  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  5  mo.,  21st,  1892, 
p.  217. 

81  On  this  trip  William  Evans  visited  the  Friends  meetings  in  the 
vicinity  of  Salem,  Pleasant  Plain,  and  Richland,  as  well  as  the  Oakley 
settlement,  but  did  not  go  into  the  more  central  part  of  the  State. 

82  Journal  of  the  Life  and  Eeligious  Services  of  William  Evans 
(Philadelphia,  1870),  pp.  525,  526. 

83  This  concrete  meeting-house  at  Red  Cedar  was  claimed  by  some 
to  be  the  first  building  erected  for  religious  purposes  in  Cedar  County, 
although  there  seems  to  have  been  an  earlier  one  at  Tipton.  See 
Aurner's  A  Topical  History  of  Cedar  County,  Iowa  (Chicago,  1910), 
p.  127,  and  note  105  on  p.  515. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  305 

84  Minutes  of  Bed  Cedar  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  4  mo.,  9tli, 
1853,  p.  1. 

85  Hull's  Historical  and  Comparative  Census  of  Iowa,  1880,  pp.  198, 
199. 

86  The  Friend,  Vol.  XXVII,  p.  319. 

87  Iowa  became  a  State  on  December  28,  1846.  See  Shambaugh  's 
History  of  the  Constitutions  of  Iowa,  p.  327. 

88  In  The  Friend  for  July  23,  1853,  the  editor  notes  ' '  an  account 
furnished  ....  more  than  a  year  ago  [by  a  Friend  who  had 
settled  in  Linn  County],  descriptive  and  recommendatory  of  a  settle- 
ment that  he  and  some  others  were  then  about  making  far  off  in  the 
prairies  of  that  State."  Among  the  reasons  given  by  the  editor  for 
withholding  this  account  are  ' '  the  loss  experienced  by  members  of  our 
Society  who  settle  remote  from  the  body  of  Society,  and  are  in  some 
measure  freed  from  the  restraint,  which,  through  its  meetings  and  the 
oversight  of  the  rightly  concerned,  it  exerts  over  them.  We  .... 
think  Friends  everywhere  ought  to  be  well  persuaded  that  it  is  in  the 
ordering  of  Truth,  before  they  break  loose  from  the  neighborhoods 
and  meetings  where  they  have  been  long  living,  and  where  perhaps 
they  may  be  most  likely  to  prosper  in  best  things. ' ' —  The  Friend, 
Vol.  XXVI,  p.  359. 

89  At  the  first  and  opening  meeting  of  the  Red  Cedar  Monthly 
Meeting  (4  mo,,  9th,  1853,  p.  2)  the  following  minute  was  recorded: 

^'The  Friends  of  Lynn  &  Jones  counties  request  the  privilege  of 
holding  a  meeting  for  worship  ....  and  a  preparative  meeting 
.     .     .     .     to  be  known  by  the  name  of  Fairview". 

90  Friends '  Review,  Vol.  VIII,  p.  455. 

91  Minutes  of  Bed  Cedar  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  2  mo.,  7th, 
1855,  pp.  107-109. 

92  Minutes  of  Bed  Cedar  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  2  mo.,  7th, 
1855,  p.  107. 

The  committee  appointed  to  visit  the  Friends  in  Winneshiek  County 
was  made  up  of  Enoch  Peasley,  Jeremiah  A.  Grinnell,  Asa  Staples, 
Amos  Hampton,  Brinton  Darlington,  David  Tatum,  Elisha  Stratton, 
and  James  Schooley. 

93  See  the  printed  sketch  by  Laurie  Tatum,  entitled  Early  History 
of  the  Settlement  of  Friends  at  Spring  dale,  Iowa,  and  their  Meetings, 

20 


306  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

pasted  into  the  book  of  Minutes  of  Springdale  Monthly  Meeting  of 
Friends  for  1892,  pp.  217,  218,  228. 

94  Minutes  of  Bed  Cedar  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  5  mo.,  9th, 
1855,  p.  121. 

95  On  this  second  trip  Eobert  Lindsey  was  among  the  Iowa  Friends 
from  April  29  to  July  19,  1858.  The  copy  of  this  journal  in  manu- 
script form  was  loaned  to  the  author  by  the  Haverf ord  College^  Library 
through  the  interest  of  Professor  Eayner  W.  Kelsey,  A  transcript  was 
made  and  is  now  in  the  possession  of  The  State  Historical  Society  of 
Iowa. 

CHAPTER  VIII 

96  The  writer  compiled  his  data  for  the  Iowa  field  in  1850  and 
1860  chiefly  from  two  booklets  published  by  the  authority  of  the 
*' Meeting  for  Sufferings"  of  the  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends, 
each  entitled:  Statement  of  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting,  and  All  the 
Meetings  Thereunto  Belonging :  The  Bays  of  Holding  them,  and  Their 
Location,  one  covering  the  year  1850,  and  the  other  the  year  1859. 

97  With  the  adoption  of  the  uniform  Discipline  in  1902  the  Ortho- 
dox Friends  in  Iowa  abandoned  the  old  Preparative  Meeting  as  a 
business  unit,  and  it  became  in  most  cases  merely  a  meeting  for 
worship. 

98  In  1902  all  of  the  American  Yearly  Meetings  of  Friends  except 
Ohio,  Philadelphia,  and  Canada,  united  under  a  uniform  church  dis- 
cipline termed  ''The  Constitution  and  Discipline  for  the  American 
Yearly  Meetings  of  Friends".  Though  now  banded  together  in  what 
is  called  the  ''Five  Years  Meeting",  each  Yearly  Meeting  retains  the 
right  "to  adopt  additional  disciplinary  regulations  not  inconsistent 
herewith." — Thomas's  A  History  of  Friends  in  America  (4th  edi- 
tion), pp.  24,  25. 

99  Minutes  of  Salem  Quarterly  Meeting  of  Women  Friends,  5  mo., 
15th,  1852,  p.  52.     See  also  p.  67. 

100  Minutes  of  Bed  Cedar  Quarterly  Meeting  of  Friends,  5  mo.,  8th, 
1858,  p.  1. 

101  Minutes  of  Salem  Quarterly  Meeting  of  Women  Friends,  11  mo., 
19th,  1853,  p.  80. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  307 

102  Minutes  of  Western  Plain  Quarterly  Meeting  of  Women  Friends, 
6  mo.,  5th,  1858,  p.  1. 

-^^^  Minutes  of  Bed  Cedar  Quarterly  Meeting  of  Friends,  11  mo., 
13th,  1858,  p.  20. 

104.  Minutes  of  Bed  Cedar  Quarterly  Meeting  of  Friends,  2  mo., 
12th,  1859,  p.  23;  Minutes  of  Western  Plain  Quarterly  Meeting  of 
Women  Friends,  3  mo.,  5th,  1859,  p.  17. 

105  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1863,  pp.  1,  2. 

106  Minutes  of  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1860,  pp.  20,  21. 

107  Minutes  of  Bed  Cedar  Quarterly  Meeting  of  Friends,  2  mo.,  9th, 

1861,  pp.  67-69. 

108  Minutes  of  Bed  Cedar  Quarterly  Meeting  of  Friends,  8  mo., 
10th,  1861,  p.  76. 

10^  Minutes  of  Bangor  (Western  Plain)  Quarterly  Meeting  of 
Women  Friends,  12  mo.,  7th,  1861,  pp.  62,  63. 

110  Minutes  of  Bed  Cedar  Quarterly  Meeting  of  Friends,  5  mo., 
10th,  1862,  pp.  89,  90,  91. 

111  Minutes  of  Bed  Cedar  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  5  mo.,  10th, 

1862,  p.  91. 

The  ''Meeting  for  Sufferings"  had  its  origin  in  England  during 
the  severe  persecutions  of  the  Quakers  in  that  country.  In  order  to 
provide  a  convenient  medium  through  which  the  sufferers  might  reach 
the  ear  of  the  government,  in  1675  it  was  agreed  ''that  certain 
Friends  of  this  city  [London]  be  nominated  to  keep  a  constant  meet- 
ing about  sufferings  four  times  in  a  year,  with  the  day  and  time  of 
each  meeting  here  fixed  and  settled.  That  at  least  one  Friend  of  each 
county  be  appointed  by  the  Quarterly  Meeting  thereof,  to  be  in  readi- 
ness to  repair  to  any  of  the  said  meetings  at  this  city,  at  such  times 
as  their  urgent  occasions  or  sufferings  shall  require. ' ' —  The  Friends ' 
Library,  Vol.  I,  p.  119. 

In  later  times  these  ' '  Meetings  for  Sufferings ' '  became  the  repre- 
sentative bodies  of  the  Society  when  the  Yearly  Meetings  were  not  in 
session.  Among  the  Iowa  Friends  to-day  this  "Meeting'^  is  perpetu- 
ated in  the  "Permanent  Board". 

112  Minutes  of  Bed  Cedar  Quarterly  Meeting  of  Friends,  8  mo.,  9th, 
1862,  p.  95. 

113  Minutes  of  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1862,  p.  5. 


308  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

CHAPTER  IX 

114  Minutes  of  Bed  Cedar  Quarterly  Meeting  of  Friends,  2  mo., 
14th,  1863,  p.  105. 

115  At  the  time  of  his  letter  to  the  writer,  December  31,  1912, 
Charles  F.  Coffin  wrote  with  trembling  hand :  *  *  I  am  nearing  my  90th 
birthday  and  am  the  only  living  member  of  the  Committees  to  attend 
the  opening  of  the  Yearly  Meeting. ' ' 

116  The  Saturday  Globe  (Oskaloosa),  February  27,  1909. 

117  The  following  named  persons  came  from  the  several  Quarterly 
Meetings : 

'' Salem  —  Joseph  D.  Hoag,  Willet  Borland,  Ephraim  D.  Ratliff, 
Stephen  Hockett,  and  Thomas  Siveter. 

''Pleasant  Plain  —  Barclay  Johnson,  David  Morgan,  Benjamin 
Hollingsworth,  and  Wm.  Pearson. 

''Red  Cedar  —  Olney  Thompson,  Enocb  Hoag,  Israel  Negus,  Wm. 
Harris,  Laurie  Tatum,  and  Elisha  Strattan. 

' '  Bangor  —  Wm.  Hobson,  David  Hunt,  Henry  H.  Macy,  Jacob  B. 
McGrew,  Thomas  Moore,  Ira  Cook,  Lindley  M.  Hoag,  James  Owen, 
Wm.  Farquhar,  and  Wm.  Reese. 

"South  River  —  Benjamin  Smith,  John  Tomlinson,  Nathan  Cra- 
ven, Jesse  Hadley,  and  Isaac  Starbuck". —  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly 
Meeting  of  Friends,  1863,  p.  8. 

118  Of  the  representatives  officially  appointed  by  other  Yearly 
Meetings  to  be  at  the  opening  of  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  there  were 
twenty-eight  persons  present. —  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of 
Friends,  1863,  pp.  7,  8. 

119  The  second  national  conference  of  the  ' '  Friends  First-Day 
Scripture  Schools"  was  held  at  Spring  Creek  on  the  9th,  10th,  11th, 
and  12tli  of  September,  1863. 

120  The  Saturday  Globe  (Oskaloosa),  February  27,  1909. 

121  A  sketch  prepared  by  Dr.  J.  W.  Morgan  of  Oskaloosa,  Iowa,  in 
1912,  at  the  request  of  the  writer. 

122  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1863,  p.  9. 

^23  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1863,  pp.  11,  22, 
25. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  309 

The  contention  over  the  site  for  the  yearly  meeting-house  was 
presented  ^'to  the  Friends  in  attendance  by  appointment  of  other 
Yearly  meetings"  by  two  members  from  each  of  the  Iowa  Quarters; 
and  after  patiently  listening  to  all  the  claims  and  personally  visiting 
the  sites  in  question,  John  White's  lot  on  the  north  side  of  Oskaloosa, 
was  selected  ''with  the  understanding  that  the  title  shall  be  un- 
conditional, ....  and  that  the  meeting  house  lot  shall  be  free 
of  cost  to  the  Yearly  Meeting  as  has  been  proposed  to  us." 

124  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1863,  p.  19. 

125  The  Saturday  Globe  (Oskaloosa),  February  27,  1909. 

126  Minutes  of  loiva  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1863,  pp.  27,  33, 

CHAPTER  X 

127  In  the  new  thirty  thousand  dollar  yearly  meeting-house  at 
Oskaloosa  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends  celebrated 
its  fiftieth  anniversary  on  September  5  and  6,  1913.  A  full  account 
of  the  proceedings  may  be  found  in  The  Oskaloosa  Herald,  September 
5  and  6,  1913. 

128  Iowa  Geological  Survey,  Vol.  II,  pp.  37,  38,  340. 

129  Iowa  Geological  Survey,  Vol.  XIX,  p.  559. 

130  Acknowledgments  should  here  be  made  of  the  kindness  of  Dr. 
J.  W.  Morgan  of  Oskaloosa,  Iowa,  who  made  a  special  trip  to  this 
locality  with  which  he  was  once  so  familiar,  in  order  that  he  might 
correctly  write  this  sketch. 

131  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1866,  pp.  12,  26. 

132  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1912. 
See  statistical  table  attached. 

133  Between  the  five-year  periods,  1876  to  1880  and  1906  to  1910, 
the  additions  in  membership  by  births  to  the  Orthodox  Friends  in 
Iowa  fell  from  about  2  1/10  per  cent  to  1  1/10  per  cent  of  the  total 
membership,  respectively.  Though  this  is  not  the  actual  rate  of  birth, 
it  is  strongly  indicative  of  what  has  been  suggested.  The  same  fact 
for  the  earlier  years  is  even  more  markedly  true,  as  is  shown  by  the 
hundreds  of  biographical  sketches  of  pioneer  Quaker  families  in  this 
State  which  the  writer  has  collected. 


310  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

134  It  is  a  noticeable  fact  that  the  Orthodox  and  Conservative 
Friends  usually  unite  with  such  denominations  as  the  Methodist, 
Presbyterian,  or  Congregational,  while  the  Hicksite  and  Wilbur 
Friends  generally  affiliate  with  the  Unitarian  and  Universalist  bodies. 

135  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1888, 
p.  9. 

136  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1893, 
p.  8.  The  number  of  members  is  based  on  the  statistical  report  of 
1892,  which  gives  Newberg  791  members  and  Salem  164  members. 

137  The  two  Quarterly  Meetings  originally  composing  the  Cali- 
fornia Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends  were  Whittier  and  Pasadena.  See 
the  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1894,  pp. 
11,  20,  and  1895,  p.  7. 

138  For  a  statistical  report  of  the  Quarterly  Meetings  composing 
the  Nebraska  Yearly  Meeting  see  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of 
(Orthodox)  Friends,  1907,  p.  47. 

For  the  report  of  the  committee  which  aided  in  establishing  the 
new  Yearly  Meeting  see  the  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of 
(Orthodox)  Friends,  1908,  pp.  6,  7. 

PART  II 

CHAPTEE  I 

'i^^^  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1  mo.,  30th, 
1841,  p.  58. 

140  The  Discipline  of  the  Society  of  Friends  of  Indiana  Yearly 
Meeting,  1854,  p.  87. 

141  Minutes  of  Pleasant  Plain  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  6  mo., 
26th,  1844,  p.  39. 

142  Por  a  sketch  of  the  beginnings  of  this  revival,  see  Autobiogra- 
phy of  Allen  Jay,  pp.  110-112. 

143  From  a  sketch  of  Center  Grove  Christian  Vigilance  Band,  pre- 
pared by  Pliny  Fry  at  the  request  of  the  writer. 

i4:i  Minutes  of  Salem  Quarterly  Meeting  of  Friends,  8  mo.,  13th, 
1870. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  311 

145  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1883, 
p.  26. 

146  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1884, 
p.  8;  1886,  p.  24. 

147  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1884, 
p.  8;  1885,  p.  15;  1886,  p.  24. 

148  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meetiiig  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1887, 
p.  12. 

149  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1887, 
pp.  13,  14. 

CHAPTER  II 

150  See  Thomas's  A  History  of  the  Friends  in  America,  p.  200. 

151  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  7  mo.,  19th, 
1845,  p.  258. 

152  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1875,  p.  30. 

153  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1871,  p.  6. 

154  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1880, 
p.  13. 

155  The  members  of  the  committee  to  which  was  assigned  the  im- 
portant subject  of  the  pastoral  system,  were  the  following:  John 
Henry  Douglas,  Isom  P.  Wooten,  David  O.  Michener,  John  Pearson, 
Josiah  Dillon,  Erwin  G.  Tabor,  John  F.  Hanson,  David  Hunt,  Milton 
J.  Hampton,  Gilbert  L.  Farr,  Trueman  Cooper,  Hiram  Hammond, 
Caleb  Johnson,  A.  W.  Naylor,  Benjamin  Trueblood,  Cyrus  Beede, 
A.  H.  Lindley,  Elias  Jessup,  John  H.  Pickering,  C.  E.  Dixon,  William 
P.  Smith,  David  Thatcher,  John  C.  Hiatt,  and  Wm.  Pettit.  See  Min- 
utes of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1886,  p.  6. 

156  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1886, 
p.  13. 

157  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1886, 
p.  14;  1887,  p.  14;  1889,  p.  18;  1900,  p.  11;  1912,  see  statistical  table. 

158  In  the  issue  of  The  American  Friend  for  tenth  month  (Octo- 
ber), 26,  1911,  D.  B.  Cook  of  Earlham,  Iowa,  has  an  excellent  article 
entitled  The  Pastoral  System  on  Trial. 

159  The  American  Friend,  Vol.  XIX,  p.  283. 


312  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

CHAPTER  III 

160  Barclay's  An  Apology  for  the  True  Christmn  Divinity:  Being 
An  Explanation  and  Vindication  of  the  Principles  and  Doctrines  of 
the  People  Called  Qualcers  (Providence,  1856),  p.  271. 

161  Stephen's  Qualcer  Strongholds,  pp.  110,  111. 

162  The  Discipline  of  the  Society  of  Friends  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meet- 
ing, Revision  of  1865,  p.  54. 

163  The  Constitution  for  the  Society  of  Friends  in  America,  with 
Supplementary  Provisions  and  Eules  of  Discipline,  adopted  by  the 
Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  in  1902,  pp.  57-59. 

164  In  1910  the  Honey  Creek  Quarterly  Meeting  proposed  to  the 
Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  (Orthodox)  the  new  scheme  of  a  ''Board  on 
Recording  Ministers".  The  question  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  the 
Permanent  Board,  which  reported  favorably  in  1912.  The  Five  Years 
Meeting  held  at  Indianapolis  in  October,  1912,  concurred  in  the  pro- 
posed changes,  and  the  matter  of  final  adoption  is  now  pending.  See 
Minutes  of  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1910,  p.  10. 

165  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1909, 
p.  52;  1911,  p.  13. 

166  The  average  salary  received  by  forty  pastors  in  regular  service 
in  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends  was  about  $465.00. 
Excluding  the  three  pastorates  of  Des  Moines,  Oskaloosa,  and  Minne- 
apolis (Minnesota),  which  in  1912  paid  $1200,  $1425,  and  $1800 
respectively,  the  average  salary  of  the  other  thirty-seven  pastors  was 
about  $382.  See  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox) 
Friends,  1912,  statistical  table. 

167  The  average  pastoral  term  in  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of 
(Orthodox)  Friends  is  about  two  years.  In  the  other  Yearly  Meetings 
in  this  country  the  pastoral  term  ranges  from  one  year,  as  in  North 
Carolina,  to  three  or  four  years,  as  in  Kansas.  For  a  good  survey  of 
pastoral  conditions  among  the  Friends  in  America  see  an  account  of 
the  work  of  the  ''Commission  on  the  Meeting  and  its  Pastoral  Care" 
in  the  Minutes  of  the  Five  Years  Meeting,  1912,  pp.  78-113. 

CHAPTER  IV 

168  The  years  served  by  each  of  the  General  Superintendents  of  the 
Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends  are  as  follows :  John  Henry  Douglas, 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  313 

1886-1890;  Isom  P.  Wooten,  1890-1895;  Zenas  L.  Martin,  1895-1900; 
William  Jasper  Hadley,  1900-1911;  Harry  R.  Keates,  1911- 

169  The  writer  is  indebted  to  John  Henrv  Douglas  for  a  brief  sketch 
of  his  life,  prepared  in  May,  1913. 

170  John  Henry  Douglas  states  that  he  began  preaching  in  1853. 

171  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1889, 
p.  19;  1891,  p.  21. 

172  Zenas  L.  Martin  was  born  in  Yadkin  County,  North  Carolina, 
near  the  old  home  of  Daniel  Boone,  in  1855.  He  came  to  Iowa  in  1859 
with  his  parents  Daniel  H.  and  Belinda  (Reece)  Martin,  who  settled 
at  New  Providence,  Hardin  County.  Here  he  made  his  home  until  he 
entered  the  services  of  the  American  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  in 
1895.    He  is  now  the  Superintendent  of  the  Friends  missions  in  Cuba. 

173  In  connection  with  his  annual  report  in  1897  Zenas  L.  Martin 
made  the  following  recommendation:  "1  would  recommend  that, 
.  .  .  .  all  our  meetings  which  have  not  parsonages  consider  the 
matter  of  building  next  year,  and  that  there  be  liberality  in  the  size 
and  convenient  arrangement  of  them.  It  would  be  well  for  good  cup- 
boards and  closets  to  be  made  in  all  houses,  and  that  stoves  be  fur- 
nished, so  that  in  moving  ministers  may  be  saved  the  expense  of 
handling  heavy  furniture." — Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of 
(Orthodox)  Friends,  1897,  pp.  23,  24. 

174  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1900, 
p.  11. 

175  William  Jasper  Hadley  was  born  in  Hendricks  County,  Indiana, 
in  1848.  He  came  to  Iowa  in  1870  and  settled  in  Dallas  County. 
From  that  time  on  his  career  runs  as  follows:  farmer,  teacher.  Super- 
intendent of  Indian  Schools,  deputy  to  County  Treasurer  of  Dallas 
County,  1888-1890,  County  Superintendent  of  Schools,  preacher  and 
pastor.  General  Superintendent  of  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of 
Friends,  1900-1911,  pastor  of  the  Friends  Church  at  Des  Moines, 
1911-1913. 

176  Before  accepting  the  evangelistic  superintendency  of  the  Iowa 
Yearly  Meeting  of  Orthodox  Friends,  Harry  R.  Keates  had  served  in 
a  like  capacity  in  the  New  York  Yearly  Meeting.  Later  he  had  been 
for  three  or  four  years  the  pastor  of  the  Friends  Church  at  Des 
Moines,  Iowa. —  See  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox) 
Friends,  1912,  p.  8. 


314  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

177  In  its  report,  the  committee  to  which  was  referred  the  subject 
of  the  Evangelistic  Board  having  been  granted  '  *  absolute  authority  to 
take  such  action  as  may  seem  right  in  the  case",  '^ where  differences 
exist  likely  to  cause  hurt  to  a  meeting"  (Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly 
Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1910,  p.  17),  announced  its  approval. 
"Your  committee  believes,  however,  that  our  Constitution  already 
provides  a  complete  method  of  dealing  with  all  'differences'  which 
may  arise  and  that,  therefore,  the  above  resolution  is  in  conflict  with 
it. ' ' —  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1912, 
p.  14. 

CHAPTER  V 

178  A  sketch  of  the  Christian  Workers'  Assembly  by  E.  Howard 
Brown.  Of  the  forty-eight  pastors  in  the  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of 
Orthodox  Friends  devoting  their  whole  time  to  the  work  in  1912, 
thirty-four  were  men,  fourteen  were  women;  while  but  seven  were 
college  graduates.    See  Minutes  of  the  Five  Years  Meeting,  1912,  p.  92. 

179  The  first  regular  board  of  the  Christian  Workers'  Assembly 
was  made  up  of  A.  Rosenberger,  Maria  Dean,  Charles  W.  Sweet, 
William  L.  Pierson,  Emma  Coffin,  and  Eli  Eees. 

180  For  information  relative  to  the  early  history  of  the  '^  As- 
sembly" the  writer  is  indebted  to  E.  Howard  Brown,  who  went 
through  the  records  of  the  ''Yearly  Meeting  of  Ministry  and  Over- 
sight" to  secure  the  data. 

181  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1911, 
p.  58. 

182  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1912, 
p.  61. 

CHAPTER  VI 

183  Politically,  the  Friends  have  generally  allied  themselves,  first 
with  the  Whig  and  later  with  the  Republican  party.  In  marked  con- 
trast to  their  usual  passive  attitude  toward  politics  stands  the  cam- 
paign of  1896  when  the  Orthodox  Friends  in  Iowa  became  so  wrought 
up  that  "but  little  evangelistic  work  could  be  done  in  our  meetings 
until  late  in  the  season",  because,  says  the  General  Superintendent, 
of  the  "deceptive  absorption  of  a  political  campaign". —  Minutes  of 
Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1897,  p.  24. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  315 


184  The  following  table  is  of  interest  as  a  comparison  between  tbe 
number  of  communicants  of  the  various  religious  denominations  in 
Iowa,  and  the  number  of  inmates  in  the  State  penitentiaries  in  1906 
declaring  their  affiliations  or  preferences  for  the  same  denominations: 


o 
So 

IS 

IOWA  STATE  PENITENTIARIES 

FT. 
MADISON       ANAMOSA 

w          H         <!         :^ 

ATIVE  PERCENTAGE 
NMATES  BASED 
WHOLE  NUMBER 
COMMUNICANTS 

^  S 

^  s 

h3 

% 

^ 

►^    ^  r 

<  H 

^  o 

< 

Q 

w  (i.  !z;  1^ 

'A  a 

S5   O 

s 

% 

&. 

H 

a;  o  o  o 

Baptists 

44,096 

31 

4 

35 

.00079 

Christian 

57,425 

34 

3 

4 

41 

.00071 

Methodist 

164,329 

63 

11 

1 

75 

.00045 

Eoman  Catholic 

207,607 

43 

36 

1 

80 

.00038 

United  Brethren 

11,236 

3 

1 

4 

.00035 

Friends 

10,088 

2 

.  . 

.  . 

2 

.00019 

Presbyterian 

60,081 

7 

1 

8 

.00013 

Lutheran 

117,668 

7 

7 

1 

15 

.00012 

Congregational 

37,061 

2 

•• 

2 

.00005 

The  above  table  was  compiled  from  the  Special  Beports  of  the 
Bureau  of  the  Census,  Beligious  Bodies,  1906,  Pt.  I,  pp.  190,  191,  192, 
193,  194;  and  Beport  of  the  Board  of  Control  of  State  Institutions  of 
Iowa,  1906,  p.  383. 

185  A  brief  sketch  of  the  young  people 's  forward  movement  both 
in  England  and  in  America  may  be  found  in  an  article  by  Horace 
Mather  Lippincott  and  John  S.  Hoyland,  entitled  The  Movement, 
published  in  An  Account  of  the  Young  Friends'  Conference  at  the 
Whittier  Fellowship  Guest  House,  pp.  21-28. 


PART  III 

CHAPTEE  I 

186  The  ''Germantown  Protest",  issued  by  the  Germantown 
Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  Pennsylvania,  in  1688  is  usually  cited  as 
the  first  formal  document  issued  against  the  institution  of  slavery  in 
America. 


316  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

187  In  an  article  entitled  The  Society  of  Friends  and  Abolition, 
published  in  The  Friend,  Vol.  XVI  (1842-1843),  pp.  374,  375,  a  clear 
and  full  statement  is  made  of  the  reasons  why  the  Friends  held  aloof 
from  the  early  abolition  movement. 

188  See  Beminiscences  of  Levi  Coffin,  the  deputed  President  of  the 
Underground  Railroad  (Cincinnati:  Western  Tract  Society),  Ch.  VII. 

189  Quoted  in  Hodgson's  The  Society  of  Friends  in  the  Nineteenth 
Century,  Vol.  II,  p.  25. 

190  Osborn  's  A  Testimony  Concerning  the  Separation  Which  Oc- 
curred in  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  in  the  Winter  of  1842 
and  '43 ;  together  with  sundry  remarlcs  and  observations,  particularly 
on  the  subjects  of  War,  Slavery,  and  Colonization  (Centerville,  1849), 
p.  44. 

191  An  excellent  account  of  the  events  leading  up  to  the  anti- 
slavery  separation  in  the  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting  may  be  found  in 
The  Friend,  Vol.  XVII  (1843-1844),  pp.  85,  86,  93,  94. 

192  The  Address,  from  the  Meeting  for  Sufferings,  of  Indiana 
Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  held  at  White  Water,  on  the  6th  and  7th 
of  the  Third  month,  1843,  cites  this  date. 

193  Seebohm's  Memoirs  of  William  Foster  (London,  1865),  Vol.  II, 
pp.  198,  199. 

194  See  Western  WorTc  (Oskaloosa),  May,  1908,  pp.  2,  3. 

195  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  3  mo.,  25th, 
1843,  pp.  149,  150. 

196  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  9  mo.,  30th, 
1843,  pp.  167,  168. 

197  Osborn 's  A  Testimony  Concerning  the  Separation  Which  Oc- 
curred in  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  in  the  Winter  of  1842 
and  '43,  pp.  17,  18. 

198  For  the  materials  concerning  what  transpired  among  the  Anti- 
Slavery  Friends  at  Salem  on  this  occasion  the  writer  has  depended 
largely  on  quotations  found  in  Edgerton's  A  History  of  the  Separa- 
tion in  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting  on  the  Anti-Slavery  Question  (Cin- 
cinnati, 1856),  pp.  337-343;  and  in  Hodgson's  The  History  of 
Friends  in  the  Nineteenth  Century,  Vol.  II,  pp.  39,  40. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  317 

199  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  10  mo.,  31st, 
1845,  p.  268. 

200  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  12  mo.,  17th, 
1862,  p.  292. 

For  a  full  and  careful  account  of  this  anti-slavery  separation  see 
Edgerton's  A  History  of  the  Separation  in  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting 
of  Friends  on  the  Anti-Slavery  Question. 

CHAPTER  II 

201  The  materials  on  the  Hicksite  separation  are  voluminous,  in- 
cluding official  addresses  or  declarations  by  each  body  on  the  subject; 
sectarian  papers;  personal  journals;  treatises;  etc.  In  A  History  of 
the  Friends  in  America,  p.  122,  A.  C.  and  R.  H.  Thomas  cite  the 
following  as  the  fairest  representations  on  either  side:  "Hicksite, 
Elias  Hicks,  *  Journal,'  New  York,  1832;  'The  Berean,'  Wilmington, 
Del.,  1825;  'The  Friend  or  Advocate  of  Truth,'  Philadelphia,  1828- 
1830,  3  Vols.;  The  Journal  of  John  Comly;  'The  Quaker,'  Phila- 
delphia, 1827,  1828,  4  Vols.;  Orthodox,  'The  Friend,'  Philadelphia, 
1827-1832,  Vols.  2-4;  'Miscellaneous  Repository,'  Mt.  Pleasant,  O., 
1827-1832,  Vols.  1-4;  Journal  of  Thomas  Shillitoe,  London,  1839, 
Vol.  2." 

202  For  an  account  of  the  founding  of  the  Prairie  Grove  settlement, 
see  Friends'  Intelligencer  (Philadelphia,  1858),  Vol.  XIV,  pp.  293- 
295. 

203  The  writer  is  indebted  to  L.  O.  Mosher  of  West  Liberty  for  the 
information  concerning  the  early  settlement  of  Friends  about  West 
Liberty. 

204  The  Monthly  Meeting  at  West  Liberty  was  established  about 
1859  or  1860;  the  records  for  these  first  years  being  lost,  the  exact 
date  is  now  obscured.  Minutes  of  Illinois  Yearly  Meeting  of  the 
Society  of  (EicTcsite)  Friends,  1912,  p.  42. 

205  In  1906  the  seven  Yearly  Meetings  of  Hicksite  Friends  in 
America  reported  a  total  membership  of  18,560  persons,  while  in  1890 
they  reported  21,992,  thus  showing  a  loss  of  3,432  in  sixteen  years. — 
Special  Eeports  of  the  Bureau  of  the  Census  —  Religious  Bodies,  1906, 
Part  II,  pp.  300-303. 

206  The  following  table  shows  something  of  the  decline  in  numbers 
of  the  Prairie  Grove   Quarterly  Meeting,  composed  as  it  is  of  the 


318  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 


Monthly  Meetings 

of  Prairie  Grove 

in  Henry  County,  Wapsinonoe  in 

Muscatine 

County, 

and    Marietta 

near    Marshalltown    in    Marshall 

County : 

YEAR 

ADULTS 

MINORS 

TOTAL 

.        NUMBER  OF  NON-RESIDENTS 

1893 

288 

115 

403 

168 

1903 

193 

52* 

245 

80 

1904 

193 

49 

242 

81 

1905 

196 

47 

243 

94 

1906 

197 

42 

239 

89 

1907 

198 

35 

233 

94 

1908 

193 

27 

220 

93 

1909 

187 

20 

207 

93 

1910 

188 

18 

206 

100 

1911 

180 

17 

197 

103 

1912 

174 

17t 

191 

99 

*A  decline  of  nearly  55%  of  the  young  people. 

tThis  10  year  period  shows  a  decline  of  over  67%  of  minors. 

207  Out  of  a  total  membership  of  885  persons  in  1912  the  Illinois 
Yearly  Meeting  of  (Hicksite)  Friends  had  441  non-resident  members; 
and  of  the  191  persons  belonging  to  the  Prairie  Grove  Quarterly 
Meeting  in  that  year,  99  were  non-resident.  The  Yearly  Meeting  has 
a  most  effective  method,  however,  of  dealing  with  this  situation 
through  a  committee  on  * '  Isolated  Members ' ',  and  by  publishing  each 
year  as  an  appendix  to  its  Minutes  the  names  and  addresses  of  all  its 
non-resident  members  by  Monthly  Meetings. 

208  See  the  sketches  by  Luke  Woodard  on  the  subject  of  Hicksism 
in  the  Evangelical  Friend  (Cleveland),  November  23,  December  7,  14, 
21,  and  28,  1911. 

209  Minutes  and  Accompanying  Documents  of  Illinois  Yearly  Meet- 
ing of  the  Society  of  (RicTcsite)  Friends,  1908,  p.  24. 

CHAPTER  III 

210  John  Wilbur  was  born  at  Hopkinton,  Rhode  Island,  in  1774,  of 
a  prominent  Quaker  family,  and  was  carefully  educated  in  the  teach- 
ings of  the  Society.  He  was  early  acknowledged  a  minister  but  was 
disowned  by  the  Orthodox  body  owing  to  his  controversy  with  Gurney. 
Later  he  was  recognized  as  a  minister  by  his  followers  and  retained 
that  position  until  his  death  in  1856. 

211  Joseph  John  Gurney,  likewise  of  Quaker  ancestry,  was  born 
near  Norwich,  England,  in  1788.    He  was  educated  at  Oxford,  became 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  319 

a  finished  scholar,  an  extensive  writer,  and  a  reformer  intimate  with 
Buston  and  Wilberforce.  In  1847  he  met  a  violent  death  while  riding 
horseback. 

iii2  See  Gurney  's  Essays  on  the  Evidences,  Doctrines  and  Practical 
Operation,  of  Christianity  (Philadelphia,  1884). 

213  A  clear  idea  of  John  Wilbur's  tenets  may  be  obtained  from  the 
Letters  of  John  Wilbur  to  George  Crosfield,  published  by  the  '*  Meet- 
ing of  Sufferings  of  New  England  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Wilbur) 
Friends"  (Providence,  1895). 

214  B.  C.  Mott  's  article  on  The  Qualcers  in  Iowa  in  Annals  of  Iowa, 
Third  Series,  Vol.  IV,  pp.  266,  267. 

215  D.  C.  Mott's  article  on  The  Qualcers  in  Iowa  in  Annals  of  Iowa, 
Third  Series,  Vol.  IV,  pp.  266,  267. 

216  Hodgson's  The  Society  of  Friends  in  the  Nineteenth  Century, 
Vol.  II,  p.  227. 

217  Quoted  in  Hodgson's  The  Society  of  Friends  in  the  Nineteenth 
Century,  Vol.  II,  p.  228. 

218  Minutes  of  Bed  Cedar  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  8  mo.,  9th, 
1854,  pp.  81,  82. 

219  Minutes  of  Bed  Cedar  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  8  mo.,  9th, 
1854,  p.  82. 

220  An  aged  Friend  now  living  at  West  Branch,  Iowa,  who  was  in 
attendance  at  the  Eed  Cedar  Monthly  Meeting  at  the  time  of  the 
difiiculties  there  related  this  incident  to  the  writer,  stating  that  the 
words  made  such  an  impression  on  her  youthful  mind  that  she  had 
never  forgotten  them. 

221  Minutes  of  Eed  Cedar  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  9  mo.,  7th, 
1854,  p.  84;  10  mo.,  12th,  1854,  pp.  87,  88. 

222  See  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Conservative) 
Friends,  1866,  pp.  2,  3;  1887,  p.  5;  Minutes  of  Ohio  Yearly  Meeting 
of  (Wilbur)  Friends,  1912,  p.  4. 

223  Catalogue  of  Friends  Boarding  School,  1909-10,  pp.  1-4. 

CHAPTEE  IV 

224  The  Conservative  Friends,  unlike  the  other  Quaker  sects  in 
Iowa,  do  not  record  detailed  statistics  of  their  membership,  and  in 


320  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

consequence  it  is  diflScult  to  determine  just  how  many  members  of  that 
body  there  are  in  this  State. 

225  For  the  materials  dealing  with  the  separation  in  the  Bear 
Creek  Quarterly  Meeting  the  writer  is  indebted  to  Darius  B.  Cook  of 
Earlham,  Iowa,  who  compiled  the  data  from  official  records  in  the 
hands  of  the  Conservative  Friends.  Mr.  Cook  intends  to  publish  the 
full  results  of  his  researches. 

226  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1872,  p.  6. 

227  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1877,  pp.  2,  4.  See 
also  the  Cook  Manuscript. 

CHAPTER  V 

228  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  8  mo.,  2nd, 
1879,  pp.  275,  276. 

229  Minutes  of  Salem  Quarterly  Meeting  of  Friends,  8  mo.,  9th, 
1879,  p.  131;  11  mo.,  8th,  1879,  p.  136. 

230  Minutes  of  Springdale  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  5  mo., 
21st,  1881,  p.  258. 

231  The  facts  concerning  the  Conservative  separation  at  West 
Branch  were  carefully  related  to  the  writer  by  Jesse  Negus,  one  of  its 
chief  leaders,  and  by  other  responsible  persons  of  the  community  who 
were  concerned  in  the  movement. 

232  Minutes  of  Springdale  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  4  mo.,  21st, 

1883,  p.  309. 

233  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of   (Conservative)   Friends, 

1884,  p.  1. 

CHAPTER  VI 

234  See  Flom's  A  History  of  Norwegian  Immigration  to  the  United 
States,  Chapter  XXI.  See  also  The  Iowa  Journal  of  History  and 
Politics,  Vol.  IV,  pp.  233,  244. 

235  The  Scandinavian  immigrants  have  been  a  valuable  addition  to 
the  population  of  Iowa.  The  younger  men  in  coming  to  the  State 
usually  hire  out  for  a  year  or  so  until  they  become  acquainted  with 
the  soil;  then  they  rent  land  wherever  possible;  and  before  long,  by 
reason  of  their  industry,  they  become  land-owners. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  321 

236  The  writer  is  indebted  to  Mr.  Carney  Meltvedt  of  LeGrand, 
Iowa,  for  many  of  the  facts  contained  in  this  chapter,  particularly 
those  concerning  the  first  Friends  at  Stavanger. 

237  Stavanger  in  Norway,  is  one  of  the  most  important  commercial 
centers  on  the  southwest  coast  of  the  peninsula.  A  strong  meeting  of 
Friends  has  long  been  located  in  the  city. 

238  Minutes  of  Bangor  Quarterly  Meeting  of  Women  Friends,  11 
mo.,  5th,  1864,  p.  100. 

239  Of  the  fifty  Norwegians  coming  to  LeGrand  in  1869  as  above 
described,  but  thirty-six  were  Friends.  Among  them  were  the  follow- 
ing men  with  their  families:  Knut  Botnen,  Lars  Botnen,  Jon  Einden, 
Mons  Vinye,  Gulik  Medhus,  and  Torno  Thompson,  all  of  whom  are 
now  (1913)  deceased  except  Mons  Vinye. 

240  For  the  account  of  Lindley  Murray  Hoag  's  visit  to  Norway  in 
1853  and  its  results  see  an  article  entitled  A  Eemarkahle  Chapter  in 
the  History  of  Friends,  written  by  John  Marcussen,  which  is  re- 
printed from  the  American  Friend  in  the  Friend's  Intelligencer,  Vol. 
LXIV,  1907,  pp.  548,  549,  563-565. 

241  Minutes  of  loiva  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1871,  p.  4. 

242  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Conservative)  Friends, 
1885,  p.  5. 

243  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Conservative)  Friends, 
1888,  pp.  10,  11. 

244  Stavanger  Mirror  (a  paper  published  monthly  for  a  time  at 
LeGrand  in  the  interests  of  Stavanger  Boarding  School),  Seventh 
Month,  1903,  p.  3. 

245  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Conservative)  Friends, 
1890,  p.  5;  1892,  p.  8;  1893,  pp.  9,  10. 

246  See  the  ''Eules  and  Eegulations"  of  the  Stavanger  Boarding 
School  for  1910-1911,  as  printed  in  the  Appendix  above,  pp.  287,  288. 

^^T  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Conservative)  Friends, 
1912,  pp.  10,  11. 

248  In  her  excellent  work  on  Amana:  The  Community  of  True 
Inspiration,  pp.  99-102,  Bertha  M.  H.  Shambaugh  mentions  the  strug- 
gle which  the  people  of  this  unique  settlement  have  had  to  maintain 
their  social  integrity. 

21 


322 


THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 


249  The  general  status  of  the  Conservative  Friends  in  Iowa  is  seen 
by  the  following  table,  compiled  from  the  minutes  of  their  Yearly 
Meeting : 


NUMBER 

CHILDREN 

NUMBER 

OF  PARTS 

BETWEEN 

NUMBER  OF 

YEAR 

OF  FAMILIES 

OF  FAMILIES 

5  AND  21  YEARS 

MINISTERS 

1880 

72 

47 

(not  given) 

8 

1890 

91 

124 

121 

11 

1900 

86 

121 

113 

7 

1910 

76 

105 

100 

9 

1912 

71 

125 

107 

6 

250  Minutes  of  loiva  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Conservative)   Friends, 
1891,  p.  4. 


251  Proverbs,  29:  18. 


PART  IV 


CHAPTER  I 

252  A  View  of  the  Present  State  of  the  African  Slave  Trade,  pub- 
lished by  the  direction  of  a  meeting  representing  the  Eeligious  Society 
of  Friends  in  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey,  and  other  States  (Phila- 
delphia, 1824),  p.  3. 

253  See  Reminiscences  of  Eachel  Kellum  in  Western  Worlc,  April, 
1908,  pp.  4,  5. 

254  For  a  discussion  of  the  Missouri- Iowa  boundary  dispute  see 
Pelzer's  Augustus  Caesar  Dodge,  Ch.  VI;  and  Parish's  Bohert  Lucas, 
Ch.  XXII. 

255  The  Lewelling  house,  still  in  a  good  state  of  preservation,  is  an 
excellent  sample  of  the  first  stone  bouses  erected  in  early  Iowa.  The 
walls  of  solid  stone  are  nearly  two  feet  thick.  Great  stone  chimneys 
at  either  end  of  the  house  made  possible  a  large  open  fire  place  in 
each  room.  A  stone  extension  to  the  rear  provided  a  spacious  dining 
room  and  kitchen  combined,  with  plenty  of  pantries.  In  the  center  of 
the  floor  of  this  large  room  a  trap  door,  always  covered  with  a  rag 
carpet  and  the  dining  table,  led  into  an  extensive  opening  separate 
from  the  cellar.  It  was  here  that  the  fugitive  slaves  were  kept,  and 
though  the  house  was  searched  many  times  by  the  Missourians,  this 
opening  was  never  found  nor  the  slaves  secured. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  323 

256  Of  the  nine  slaves  in  question,  but  four  were  taken  back  to 
Missouri,  two  women  and  two  children.  In  1850  Kuel  Daggs  brought 
suit  against  Elihu  Frazier,  Thomas  Clarkson  Frazier,  John  Comer, 
Paul  Way,  John  Pickering,  William  Johnson,  and  other  citizens  of 
Henry  County  in  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  at  Burlington 
for  $10,000  damages.  The  case  was  there  tried  and  dismissed  on 
demurrer  (see  6  Federal  Cases,  No.  3538).  For  his  account  of  the 
affair  in  general  the  writer  has  depended  on  the  testimony  taken  at 
the  trial,  found  in  the  Fugitive  Slave  Case,  Daggs  vs.  Frazier,  et  als, 
as  reported  by  George  Frazee. 

257  In  her  reminiscences  (Western  Worlc,  April,  1908,  pp.  4,  5) 
Eachel  Kellum  states  that  word  reached  Salem  concerning  the  ap- 
proach of  the  Missourians,  and  a  messenger  was  at  once  despatched  on 
horse  to  notify  the  county  sheriff  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  about  ten  miles 
away.  When  the  sheriff  arrived  at  Salem  he  found  most  of  the 
Missourians  at  the  hotel  with  their  dinner  cooked  and  on  the  table. 
He  entered  at  once  and  ''gave  them  just  fifteen  minutes",  says 
Eachel  Kellum,  ''to  leave  town."  "They  swore  that  they  would 
have  their  dinners.  He  said  that  one  blast  of  his  bugle  would  bring 
on  the  company  of  well  trained  men,  and  if  they  came  at  his  com- 
mand, they  would  come  to  shoot,  and  shoot  to  kill.  'Now,  gentlemen, 
you  have  your  choice,  to  clear  the  town  in  fifteen  minutes  or  take  the 
consequences.'  They  went  ....  grabbing  what  dinner  they 
could  carry." 

Another  old  settler,  who  was  a  boy  living  in  Salem  at  the  time, 
states  that  upon  the  approach  of  the  Missourians  Jonathan  A. 
Frazier  rode  in  haste  to  the  Congregational  settlement  at  Denmark 
and  made  known  the  attack.  The  Congregationalists  immediately 
responded  in  arms  and  when  the  Missourians  saw  them  coming  up  the 
dusty  road  they  at  once  took  to  horse  and  fled. 

258  See  Lloyd's  John  Brown  Among  the  Pedee  Quakers  in  Annals 
of  Iowa,  Vol.  IV,  pp.  669,  670. 

259  The  men  brought  by  Brown  to  Springdale  on  this  occasion  were 
his  own  son,  Owen  Brown,  Aaron  D.  Stevens,  John  Kagi,  John  E. 
Cook,  Eichard  Eealf,  Charles  W.  Moflitt,  Luke  J.  Parsons,  Charles  H. 
Tidd,  William  Leeman,  and  Eichard  Eichardson,  a  colored  man.  See 
Lloyd's  John  Brown  Among  the  Pedee  QvAikers  in  Annals  of  Iowa, 
Vol.  IV,  p.  712. 


324  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

260  In  his  excellent  work  on  John  Brown  Among  the  Quakers 
(Third  Edition),  pp.  22,  23,  Irving  B.  Richman  makes  the  following 
statement,  to  which  the  present  writer  takes  exception:  **To  be  sure, 
John  Brown  and  his  followers  were  not  men  of  peace;  they,  one  and 
all  of  them,  had  fought  hard  and  often  in  the  Kansas  war;  but  much 
was  pardoned  to  them  by  the  Quakers  because  of  the  holiness  of  their 
object".  To  grant  the  truth  of  this  statement  would  be  to  concede 
that  through  leniency  the  Springdale  Friends  were  willing  to  com- 
promise their  principles  of  non-resistance,  something  of  which  the 
strong  men  who  then  were  in  control  of  the  Springdale  Monthly 
Meeting  were  incapable. 

261  See  the  answers  made  by  Richard  Realf  in  his  examination 
before  Senator  Mason's  committee,  as  given  in  Richman 's  John 
Brown  Among  the  Quakers  (Third  Edition),  pp.  56-59. 

262  Lloyd 's  John  Brown  Among  the  Pedee  Quakers  in  Annals  of 
Iowa,  Vol.  lY,  pp.  714,  715. 

263  Lloyd's  John  Brown  Among  the  Pedee  Quakers  in  Annals  of 
Iowa,  Vol.  IV,  pp.  715-719. 

264  Quoted  in  Richman 's  John  Brown  Among  the  Quakers  (Third 
Edition),  p.  49. 

265  Brown 's  attack  on  Harper 's  Ferry  occurred  on  Sunday  night, 
October  16,  1859;  the  Government  troops  retook  the  place  on  the 
morning  of  the  18th.  See  Villard's  John  Brown:  A  Biography  Fifty 
Years  After,  Ch.  XII. 

266  For  an  excellent  description  of  Barclay  Coppoc's  escape  and 
flight  see  Teakle's  The  Rendition  of  Barclay  Coppoc  in  The  Iowa 
Journal  of  History  and  Politics,  Vol.  X,  pp.  519-522. 

267  See  Teakle's  The  Rendition  of  Barclay  Coppoc  in  The  Iowa 
Journal  of  History  and  Politics,  Vol.  X,  pp.  522-566. 

268  Aurner  's  A  Topical  History  of  Cedar  County,  Iowa,  p.  424. 

269  The  men  appointed  on  this  committee  were  Joel  Bean,  Henry 
Rowntree,  Israel  Negus,  Laurie  Tatum,  James  Schooley,  Samuel  Macy, 
Amos  W.  Hampton,  James  Staples,  Benjamin  Miles,  Thomas  Barring- 
ton,  and  Samuel  Jepson. 

270  Minutes  of  Bed  Cedar  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  11  mo.,  9th, 
1859,  p.  70. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  325 

,    271  Minutes  of  Bed  Cedar  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  12  mo.,  7th, 

1859,  pp.  77,  78. 

272  Minutes  of  Bed  Cedar  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  5  mo.,  6th, 
1857,  p.  220. 

273  Showing  signs  of  tuberculosis,  Barclay  Coppoc  went  to  Kansas 
in  1857  for  his  health,  and  while  there  is  said  to  have  taken  part  in 
some  of  John  Brown's  expeditions  in  that  State. 

274  Minutes  of  Bed  Cedar  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  6  mo.,  10th, 
1857,  p.  225. 

275  Minutes  of  Bed  Cedar  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1  mo.,  11th, 

1860,  p.  '83. 

276  Lincoln's  Emancipation  Proclamation  was  given  to  the  press  on 
September  23,  1862,  and  was  intended  by  him  to  go  into  effect  on 
January  1,  1863. 

277  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1863,  p.  13. 

278  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1864,  p.  13. 

279  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1865,  p.  35;  1866, 
pp.  17,  18. 

280  Quoted  in  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1871, 
p.  11. 

281  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1884,  p.  24. 

282  R.  D.  Bowles  opened  the  school  in  September,  1889,  with  a 
crowded  enrollment,  but  he  broke  down  in  health  in  January,  1890. 
The  school  was  closed  and  he,  with  his  wife,  went  to  Springdale  where 
he  died  on  July  8th. 

283  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1898,  p.  69. 

284  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1901,  p.  47. 

CHAPTER  II 

285  Fox's  Journal  (Philadelphia),  p.  449. 

286  For  an  account  of  the  early  contact  of  the  Friends  with  the 
Indians  see  Sharpless's  A  History  of  QuaTcer  Government  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, Vol.  I,  Ch.  VI;  also  Rufus  M.  Jones's  The  QuaJcers  in  the 
American  Colonies,  index. 


326  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

287  Laurie  Tatum  's  book,  Our  Bed  Brothers,  gives  many  sketches 
of  his  own  work  and  that  of  other  Friends  among  the  Indians. 

2S8  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  11  mo.,  12th, 
1851,  p.  56;  12  mo.,  17th,  1851,  pp.  61,  62;  2  mo.,  18th,  1852,  pp.  72, 
73;  3  mo.,  17th,  1852,  pp.  77,  78. 

289  In  1846  the  Kansa  or  Kansas  Indians  were  assigned  the  reserva- 
tion at  Council  Grove,  where  they  remained  until  they  were  removed  to 
Indian  Territory  in  1873.  See  Bureau  of  American  Ethnology,  Bul- 
letin 30,  Part  1,  p.  654.  See  also  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting 
of  Friends,  4  mo.,  14th,  1852,  pp.  81,  82. 

290  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  12  mo.,  15th, 
1857,  pp.  131,  132. 

291  For  one  view  of  the  dealings  of  the  United  States  Government 
with  the  American  Indians  see  Helen  H.  Jackson's  A  Century  of 
Dishonor  (Boston,  1903). 

292  Copy  of  the  Minutes  of  the  Representative  Meeting  of  Iowa 
Yearly  Meeting  made  by  Laurie  Tatum,  the  clerk,  for  Enoch  Hoag. 
Enoch  Hoag  collected  a  large  quantity  of  materials,  intending  to  write 
a  history  of  the  work  of  the  Friends  among  the  Indians  under  Presi- 
dent Grant,  but  he  died  before  getting  the  work  under  way.  The 
writer  is  indebted  to  his  son,  Edward  F.  Hoag,  for  free  access  to 
these  materials  upon  which  he  has  largely  drawn  for  the  contents  of 
this  chapter. 

293  Congressional  Globe,  3rd  Session,  40th  Congress,  pp.  17-21,  39- 
43.  See  also  a  copy  of  the  Minutes  of  the  Eepresentative  Meeting  of 
Iowa  Yearly  Meeting,  made  by  Laurie  Tatum. 

294  See  ' '  Introductory ' '  to  Laurie  Tatum 's  Our  Bed  Brothers,  pp. 
xvii,  xviii.    See  also  The  Friend,  Vol.  XLII,  1868-1869,  pp.  255,  256. 

295  House  Executive  Documents,  2d  Session,  41st  Congress,  No.  1, 
Part  3,  pp.  471-478. 

296  Richardson's  Messages  and  Papers  of  the  Presidents,  Vol.  VII, 
pp.  38,  39. 

297  Tatum 's  Our  Bed  Brothers,  pp.  24-26. 

298  Memorial  Concerning  Deceased  Friends,  Members  of  Iowa 
Yearly  Meeting  (Philadelphia,  1872),  p.  22.  Brinton  Darlington  died 
in  the  Indian  country  on  the  first  day  of  May,  1872. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  327 

299  The  Friend,  Vol.  XLIII,  1869-1870,  pp.  69,  70,  76,  77.  See 
also  House  Executive  Documents,  2nd  Session,  41st  Congress,  No.  1, 
Part  3,  pp.  829,  830. 

300  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1873,  pp.  5,  6; 

1874,  p.  15. 

301  House  Executive  Documents,  2d  Session,  41st  Congress,  No.  1, 
Part  3,  p.  476. 

302  The  new  Osage  Eeservation  was  ' '  bounded  on  the  north  by  the 
south  line  of  Kansas,  east  by  the  ninety-sixth  degree  of  west  longitude, 
and  south  and  west  by  the  Arkansas  Eiver,  and  contained  approx- 
imately 1,760,000  acres." — Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Indian 
Affairs,  1872,  p.  40. 

303  Minutes  of  loiva  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1874,  pp.  15,  16; 

1875,  p.  18. 

304  Minutes  of  Associated  Committee  of  Friends  on  Indian  Affairs, 
1878,  pp.  23,  24,  31,  32. 

CHAPTEE  III 

305  Quoted  in  the  Friends'  Review,  Vol.  IV,  1850,  p.  174.  See  also 
Coffin's  Philanthropy  of  Josiah  White  in  Western  Work,  Vol.  XVIII, 
July,  1909,  pp.  4,  5. 

306  Quoted  in  the  Friends '  Review,  Vol.  IV,  1850,  p.  175. 

307  Minutes  of  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1854,  pp.  35,  36. 

308  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1864,  pp.  4-6,  21. 

309  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1866,  pp.  22,  23. 

310  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1867,  p.  21. 

311  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1868,  p.  7. 

312  The  Iowa  Instructor,  Vol.  I,  p.  377. 

313  Joi^o  Senate  Journal,  1868,  p.  55. 

314  Iowa  House  Journal,  1868,  p.  121. 

315  Laws  of  Iowa,  1868,  Ch.  59,  pp.  71-77. 

316  Report  of  the  Iowa  Reform  School  in  Iowa  Documents,  1870, 
Vol.  II,  pp.  3,  4. 


328  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

s'^'^  Eeport  of  the  Iowa  Reform  School  in  Iowa  Documents,  1870, 
Vol.  II,  pp.  12-14. 

318  Report  of  the  Joint  Committee  to  Visit  the  State  Reform  School 
in  Iowa  Documents,  Vol.  II,  p.  3. 

319  Report  of  the  Iowa  Reform  School  in  Iowa  Documents,  1870, 
Vol.  II,  pp.  23,  24. 

320  Report  of  the  loica  Reform  School  in  Iowa  Documents,  1872, 
Vol.  II,  pp.  5,  19,  21. 

321  Laws  of  Iowa  (General  and  Public),  1872,  Chapter  77,  p.  79. 

322  Report  of  the  Iowa  Reform  School  in  Iowa  Documents,  1874, 
Vol.  II,  p.  25. 

323  Report  of  the  Iowa  Reform  School  in  Iowa  Documents,  1876, 
Vol.  Ill,  pp.  46,  48,  49. 

324  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1878, 
p.  15. 

S25  Report  of  the  Joint  Committee  to  Visit  the  Girls'  Department 
of  the  State  Reform  School  in  Iowa  Documents,  1880,  Vol.  IV,  p.  3. 

^^^  Report  of  the  Joint  Committee  to  Visit  the  Girls'  Department 
of  the  State  Reform  School  in  Iowa  Documents,  1882,  Vol.  IV,  p.  3. 

327  The  trustees  at  this  time  were  Clarkson  T.  Penrose  of  "West 
Branch,  Benjamin  C.  Andrews  of  Pleasant  Plain,  and  Henry  Borland 
of  Salem,  Iowa. 

328  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1880, 
pp.  10,  11. 

329  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1882, 
p.  17;  1883,  p.  13;  1884,  p.  18.  It  should  also  be  noted  that  in  the 
spring  of  1884  the  trustees  leased  the  remaining  960  acres  of  the  farm 
for  five  years  to  Charles  and  Mathew  Lowder,  the  profits  to  be  divided 
equally. 

330  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1886, 
pp.  30,  31. 

331  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1887, 
p.  6. 

332  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1889, 
p.  8. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  329 

333  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1904, 
p.  28. 

334  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1904, 
pp.  29,  30. 

335  Quoted  from  a  copy  of  Judge  Bank's  decision  in  the  District 
Court  of  the  State  of  Iowa,  at  Fort  Madison,  July  30th,  1908. 

336  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1907, 
p.  40;  1912,  p.  34. 

337  Personal  letter  from  James  B.  Bruff  to  the  writer,  July  28,  1913. 

CHAPTER  IV 

338  Pumphrey  's  Missionary  WorTc  in  Connection  with  the  Society 
of  Friends  (Philadelphia,  1880),  p.  13. 

339  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1879, 
p.  21. 

340  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1880, 
p.  17. 

341  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1881, 
p.  9. 

342  Bowles's  Jamaica  and  Friends'  Missions,  pp.  49-51. 

^'t^  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1883, 
p.  24. 

344  Bowles's  Jamaica  and  Friends'  Missions,  pp.  56,  57. 

345  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1884, 
pp.  30,  32. 

346  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1887, 
p.  32. 

347  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1906, 
p.  26. 

348  In  1889  the  ''Happy  Grove  Estate",  consisting  of  about  150 
acres,  was  purchased  by  the  Yearly  Meeting  for  $2,100.  See  Bowles's 
Jamaica  and  Friends'  Missions,  p.  116.  In  1903  the  Haining  estate 
of  866  acres  and  60  head  of  cattle  was  also  purchased  for  about 
$8,000.  See  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends, 
1903,  p.  58. 


330  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

349  Eelative  to  the  immorality  on  the  island  of  Jamaica  Jesse 
George,  an  Iowa  Missionary,  says  of  the  Hordley  and  Amity  Hall 
districts:  "I  should  think  95  percent  of  the  adult  population  were 
living  together  indiscriminately,  regardless  of  the  marriage  tie." — 
Bowles's  Jamaica  and  Friends'  Missions,  p.  82.  Gilbert  L.  Farr  also 
observes  ''that  more  than  sixty  per  cent,  of  births  are  out  of  wed- 
lock." This  was  one  of  the  most  diflacult  problems  which  the 
Christian  missionaries  in  Jamaica  had  to  meet.  See  Farr's  Friends' 
Mission  in  Jamaica,  p.  1. 

350  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1903, 
p.  54. 

351  Western  WorTc,  Vol.  XIII,  August,  1909,  p.  21. 

352  Letter  of  Alsina  Andrews  to  Josepha  Hambleton,  July  5,  1909. 

353  Minutes  of  the  Jamaica  Mission  Council,  July  5,  1909. 

354  Parr's  Friends'  Mission  in  Jamaica,  pp.  23,  24. 

355  With  the  rise  in  the  interest  of  the  Iowa  Friends  in  foreign 
missions  came  a  corresponding  decline  in  the  work  of  home  missions 
until  at  the  present  time  there  is  almost  no  real  organized  home  mis- 
sion work  being  done  among  the  Orthodox  or  other  bodies  of  Friends 
in  Iowa. 

356  The  various  American  Yearly  Meetings  of  Orthodox  Friends 
now  maintain  missions  in  Japan,  East  and  West  China,  India,  Pales- 
tine, Africa,  Jamaica,  Cuba,  Mexico,  Guatemala,  and  Alaska.  See 
Minutes  of  the  Five  Years  Meeting  of  the  Friends  in  America,  1912, 
p.  42. 

357  Pumphrey's  Missionary  WorTc  in  Connection  with  the  Society 
of  Friends  (Philadelphia,  1880),  p.  44. 

358  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1894, 
p.  38. 

359  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1911, 
p.  69. 

360  The  ' '  Foreign  Mission  Committee ' '  now  consists  of  ' '  three 
members  of  the  American  Friends'  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  ap- 
pointed by  the  Yearly  Meeting  for  five  years,  seven  members  appointed 
by  the  Yearly  Meeting  for  one  year  to  be  nominated  as  follows:  five 
by  the  Yearly  Meeting  Nominating  Committee,  one  by  the  W.  F.  M.  S., 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  331 

one  by  the  C.   E.  Union". —  Minutes  of  Iowa   Yearly  Meeting   of 
(Orthodox)  Friends,  1912,  p.  18. 

CHAPTER  V 

s^i  Encyclopedia  Britannica  (Werner  Edition,  1902),  Vol.  XX,  p. 
150. 

362  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  8  mo.,  31st, 
1839,  p.  26. 

363  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  7  mo.,  31st, 
1841,  p.  71. 

364  Discipline  of  the  Society  of  Friends  of  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting, 
1854,  pp.  85,  86. 

365  Annual  Catalogue  of  Salem  Seminary,  1851. 

366  Sixty-Sixth  Anniversary  of  the  Organisation  of  the  Friends 
Church  of  Salem,  Iowa,  p.  5. 

367  Whittier  College  was  named  in  honor  of  the  Quaker  poet,  John 
Greenleaf  Whittier,  who  subscribed  fifty  dollars  to  the  "Whittier 
College  Association". 

368  Salem  WeeMy  News,  May  5,  1904. 

369  Sixty-Sixth  Anniversary  of  the  Organization  of  the  Friends 
Church  of  Salem,  Iowa,  p.  5. 

370  Minutes  of  Bed  Cedar  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  10  mo.,  5th, 
1-859,  pp.  63,  64. 

371  Aurner  's  A  Topical  History  of  Cedar  County,  pp.  159-165. 

^72  Minutes  of  Springdale  (Bed  Cedar)  Monthly  Meeting  of 
Friends,  4  mo.,  3rd,  1867,  p.  166. 

373  Dr.  J.  W,  Morgan's  account  of  Ackworth  Institute,  prepared  at 
the  request  of  the  writer.  See  also  Western  WorJc,  Vol.  Ill,  May, 
1899,  p.  2. 

374  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1881, 
p.  14. 

375  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1869,  pp.  15,  16. 
The  available  material  on  the  history  of  these  three  schools  is  ex- 


332  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

ceedingly   scarce,   being   confined   to    a    few   brief   references   in   the 
Minutes  of  the  Yearly  Meeting. 

376  Western  WorTc,  Vol.  Ill,  May,  1899,  p.  5. 

377  Western  Woric,  Vol.  Ill,  May,  1899,  p.  3. 

378  Western  WorTc,  Vol.  Ill,  May,  1899,  p.  3. 

379  Western  Work,  Vol.  Ill,  April,  1899,  p.  5. 

380  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1900, 
pp.  13,  14. 

381  Dr.  J.  "W.  Morgan,  one  of  the  first  teachers,  states  that  the 
''Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  Boarding  School"  was  founded  by  interested 
Friends  of  the  Pleasant  Plain  and  Bangor  Quarterly  Meetings,  and 
was  opened  in  the  presence  of  a  joint  committee  of  the  two  Quarters 
on  the  27th  of  November,  1860. 

382  The  ' '  Thorndyke  Institute ' '  was  of  high  grade  for  its  time, 
having  as  early  as  1865  a  library  containing  some  two  thousand 
volumes. 

383  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1866,  p.  35. 

384  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1867,  p.  4. 

385  Western  WorTc,  Vol.  II,  June,  1898,  p.  10. 

3S6  Miiiutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1871,  pp.  16,  17. 

387  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1873,  p.  10. 

388  Western  WorTc,  Vol.  XVII,  April,  1911,  p.  7.  To  the  number  of 
graduates  here  recorded  the  writer  has  added  those  for  the  years  1911- 
1912  and  1912-1913. 

389  The  following,  in  the  order  named,  have  been  the  presidents  of 
Penn  College:  John  W.  Woody,  also  the  first  president  of  Whittier 
College,  Salem,  Iowa;  William  B.  Morgan;  Benjamin  F.  Trueblood; 
Absolom  Eosenberger;  and  David  M.  Edwards,  who  is  the  present 
incumbent. 

3Q0  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (OrtTiodox)  Friends,  1898, 
p.  25;  1900,  p.  14. 

391  Iowa  Educational  Directory,  1907-1908,  p.  86. 

392  Western  WorTc,  Vol.  XVII,  June,  1911,  p.  1. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  333 

PART  V 

CHAPTER  I     . 

393  Fox's  Journal   (Philadelphia),  pp.  443,  444. 

394  Stephen's  Quaker  Strongholds  (Philadelphia,  1891),  p.  20. 

395  Penn  's  Frimitive  Christianity  Revived  (edited  by  James  M. 
Brown,  Philadelphia,  1877),  p.  9. 

396  Barclay's  An  Apology  for  the  True  Christian  Divinity:  teing 
an  explanation  and  vindication  of  the  Principles  and  Doctrines  of  the 
people  called  Quakers  (Providence,  1856),  p.  195. 

397  Barclay's  Apology,  pp.  196,  241. 

398  The  scriptural  passages  cited  against  war  are  numerous,  among 
them  being  the  following:  Matthew  V:  43,  44 j  Luke  X:  27;  Romans 
XII:  19,  20,  21.  Likewise  on  the  question  of  oaths,  the  following 
Bible  references  are  pointed  out:  Matthew  V:  33,  34,  35,  36,  37; 
James  V:  12. 

399  At  the  extra  session  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Iowa  in  1862 
the  Mennonites,  the  Amana  Inspirationists,  and  the  German  Baptists 
likewise  petitioned  for  relief  from  military  service.  See  Senate 
Journal,  1862  (extra  session). 

400  Governor  Samuel  J.  Kirkwood  in  his  message  to  the  General 
Assembly  on  September  3,  1862,  very  strongly  recommended  that  those 
''who  cannot  conscientiously  render  military  duty,  be  exempted  there- 
from in  case  of  draft,  upon  the  payment  of  a  fixed  sum  of  money  to  be 
paid  to  the  State. ' ' —  Shambaugh  's  Messages  and  Proclamations  of 
the  Governors  of  Iowa,  Vol.  II,  pp.  316,  317. 

401  Petitions  to  the  General  Assembly  for  relief  from  the  military 
draft  at  this  time  came  from  Priends  in  the  following  Iowa  counties: 
Dallas,  Madison,  Guthrie,  Adair,  Muscatine,  Jefferson,  Warren, 
Clarke,  Jasper,  Mahaska,  Poweshiek,  and  Keokuk.  See  Senate  Journal, 
1862  (extra  session),  p.  11.  The  bill  looking  towards  this  relief  was 
killed  in  the  House  after  a  most  story  career.  See  House  Journal, 
1862  (extra  session),  pp.  41,  42,  43,  44,  67,  70. 

402  Certain  members  of  the  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  who  were  un- 
able  to    pay   the    exemption   money    fell   under    the    draft,    and    the 


334  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

Monthly  Meeting  borrowed  the  amount  and  assumed  the  obligation. 
See  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  1864,  p.  14. 

403  For  the  "Richmond  Declaration  of  Faith"  see  The  Constitu- 
tion for  the  Society  of  Friends  in  America  adopted  by  Iowa  Yearly 
Meeting  in  1902,  pp.  12-46. 

CHAPTER  II 

404  With  the  most  fiery  bitterness  Fox  attacked  the  formality  of 
the  * '  steeple-house ' '  and  the  bells  that  called  men  to  church. 

405  Not  until  of  late  years,  with  the  holding  of  evangelistic  meet- 
ings at  night  and  of  regular  night  services  under  the  pastoral  system, 
have  the  Friends  had  need  of  lamps  in  their  churches,  it  being  their 
earlier  practice  to  have  regular  meetings  only  in  the  morning,  with  an 
occasional  "appointed  meeting"  in  the  afternoon. 

406  In  like  manner  there  was  a  committee  appointed  to  grant  to 
outsiders  "the  right  to  sit",  if  way  seemed  clear,  in  business  meet- 
ings; such  meetings  being  otherwise  closed  to  all  non-members. 

407  The  church  expenses  among  the  Iowa  Quakers  were  early  met 
by  proportioning  and  collecting  the  same  outside  of  the  meeting.  At 
the  present  time  morning  offerings  are  taken  in  most  of  the  Orthodox 
congregations. 

408Gurney's  Observations  on  the  Distinguishing  Views  and  Prac- 
tices of  the  Society  of  Friends  (New  York,  1856),  Ch.  VIII. 

409  The  Friends '  Library,  edited  by  William  and  Thomas  Evans 
(Philadelphia,  1837),  Vol.  I,  pp.  117,  118. 

410  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends,  1893, 
p.  35. 

4iiPenn's  The  Bise  and  Progress  of  the  People  Called  Quakers 
(Philadelphia,  1865),  p.  29. 

412  Matthew  V:  32. 

413  A  detailed  statement  of  the  Quaker  regulations  on  the  subject 
of  marriage  may  be  found  in  The  Discipline  of  the  Society  of  Friends 
of  Indiana  Yearly  Meeting,  1854,  pp.  48-57. 

414  In  case  the  man  were  not  a  member  of  the  Monthly  Meeting 
thus  concerned,  he  was  expected  to  have  ready  at  this  time  a  state- 
ment from  his  own  Monthly  Meeting  certifying  to  his  membership. 


NOTES  AND  REFERENCES  335 

415  The  Discipline  of  the  Society  of  Friends  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meet- 
ing, 1865,  pp.  76,  77. 

416  For  a  copy  of  a  Quaker  marriage  certificate  see  Appendix  above, 
pp.  291,  292. 

417  Minutes  of  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends,  9  mo.,  24th, 
1842,  p.  130. 

418  Laws  of  the  Territory  of  Michigan,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  1191. 

419  Laws  of  the  Territory  of  Iowa,  1839-1840,  Ch.  25,  pp.  40,  41. 

420  Code  of  Iowa,  1851,  Ch.  85,  See.  1477,  p.  222. 

421  WeeTcly  Iowa  State  Begister,  Vol.  XIII,  No.  8,  Wednesday, 
April  8,  1868. 

^22  Sejiate  Journal,  1873,  pp.  Ill,  121,  122,  158,  160.  See  also 
Code  of  Iowa,  1873,  See.  2198. 

423  Code  of  Iowa,  1897,  Sec.  3148. 

424  Clarkson  's  A  Portraiture  of  QuaTcerism  TaTcen  from  a  view  of 
the  Education  and  Discipline,  Social  Manners,  Civil  and  Political 
Economy,  Eeligious  Principles  and  Character,  of  the  Society  of  Friends 
(New  York,  1806),  Vol.  I,  p.  64. 

425  The  Quaker  drab  was  made  of  the  plain  white  wool,  undyed ; 
while  the  Quaker  grey,  of  which  the  men's  clothes  were  almost  always 
made,  was  composed  of  the  white  wool  mixed  with  some  black  wool, 
undyed. 

426  Rowntree 's  Qualerism,  Past  and  Present  (Philadelphia,  1860), 
p.  141,  quoted  from  Pictorial  History,  Book  VIII,  p.  632. 

427  Taken  from  notes  by  Clarence  M.  Case  on  the  Minutes  of  New 
England  Yearly  Meeting,  Vol.  I,  1683-1789. 

428  Clarkson 's  A  Portraiture  of  QuaTcerism,  Vol.  I,  p.  280. 

^29  Webster's  International  Dictionary,  see  the  word  *'thou'\ 

430  Matthew  XXII:  21;  Romans  XIII:  7;  I  Peter  II:  17. 

431  The  Discipline  of  the  Society  of  Friends  of  Indiana  Yearly 
Meeting,  1854,  p.  30. 

432  Clarkson 's  A  Portraiture  of  QuaTcerism,  Vol.  II,  p.  27. 

433  The  Discipline  of  the  Society  of  Friends  of  Indiana  Yearly 
Meeting,  1854,  p.  31. 


336  THE  QUAKERS  OF  IOWA 

434  The  Discipline  of  the  Society  of  Friends  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meet- 
ing, 1865,  p.  80. 

435  The  Discipline  of  the  Society  of  Friends  of  Indiana  Yearly 
Meeting,  1854,  p.  82. 

436  The  Discipline  of  the  Society  of  Friends  of  Indiana  Yearly 
Meeting,  1854,  pp.  27-30.  Also  The  Discipline  of  the  Society  of 
Friends  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting,  1865,  pp.  86-89. 

437  As  early  as  1839  the  Salem  Monthly  Meeting  received  from  the 
Cherry  Grove  Monthly  Meeting,  Indiana,  eighty-eight  volumes,  in- 
cluding eighteen  titles.  Such  gifts  continued  from  time  to  time  to 
such  an  extent  that  the  Salem  meeting  divided  its  library  in  1842  with 
the  meetings  at  Cedar  Creek  and  Pleasant  Plain. 

438  See  the  Beport  of  Committee  to  Consider  Question  of  Amuse- 
ments in  the  Minutes  of  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  (Orthodox)  Friends, 
1912,  pp.  71-73. 

439  Many  interesting  anecdotes  of  this  character  may  be  found  in 
Biographical  Sketches  and  Anecdotes  of  Members  of  the  Beligious 
Society  of  Friends  (Philadelphia,  1870). 

440  Taken  from  notes  by  Clarence  M.  Case  on  the  Minutes  of  New 
England  Yearly  Meeting,  Vol.  I,  1683-1789. 

441  Clarkson  's  A  Portraiture  of  QuaTcerism,  Vol.  I,  pp.  291-293. 


INDEX 


22  337 


INDEX 


Abolition,  attitude  of  Friends  toward, 
133,   184 

Abolitionists,  133 ;  attitude  of  Quakers 
toward,    135 

Academies,  241 ;  establishment  and 
maintenance  of,  by  Quakers,  243- 
247;  reasons  for  decline  of,  247 

Ackworth  Academy,  history  of,  245, 
246 

Ackworth  Quarterly  Meeting,  99 ; 
propositions  introduced  by,  106 

Adair  County,    333 

Address,  terms  of,  used  by  Quakers, 
271,  272 

Adrian    (Michigan),    56 

Africa,  missionary  work  in,  239,   330 

African  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
membership  of,    296 

Alabama,  151 

Alaska,  missions  in,   330 

Allegheny  Mountains,  34,  98 

Allen,  John,  141,  143 

Allen,   Lizzie,   239 

Allen,  Tristram,  71 

Amana  Inspirationists,   333 

America,  spread  of  Quaker  faith  to, 
22,  23 ;  landing  of  first  Quakers  in, 
24,  25;  first  Yearly  Meeting  of 
Friends  in,  28;  labors  of  Fox  in, 
28;  stronghold  of  Quakerism  in, 
30;  simplicity  of  dress  among 
Quakers  in,  269;  membership  of 
churches  in,  295,  296 

Amity  Hall   (Jamaica),  237,  238,  239 

Amusements,  attitude  of  Quakers  to- 
ward, 275-277 

Andrews,  Alsina  M.,  238 

Andrews,  Benjamin  C,  328 

Anglo-Saxons,  67 

Annotto  Bay  (Jamaica),  239 

Antiqua,    297 


Anti-Slavery  Friends,  history  of,  133- 
145 ;  organization  of  Yearly  Meet- 
ing of,  136;  labors  of  English  depu- 
tation among,  137-144;  resistance 
of,  to  summons  of  London  Yearly 
Meeting,  143,  144;  purchase  of 
burying  ground  of,    145 

Anti-Slavery  Society,  American,  134 

Appointed  Meetings,  character  of,  303 

Arapaho  Indians,  208 

Arbitration  of  disputes,   275 

Archdale,  John,  299 

Arkansas,   151 

Arkansas  River,   327 

Ascension,  254 

Asia,  missionary  work  in,  239 

Atchison  (Kansas),  negro  school  at, 
200 

Atlantic  (Iowa),  229,  230 

Atlantic  Coast,   31,   86,  241 

Atonement,   254 

Austin,  Ann,  landing  of,  at  Boston, 
25;  deportation  of,  26 

Baltimore  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends, 

56,  81,  147,  206 
Baltimore  Yearly  Meeting  of  Hicksite 

Friends,  149 
Bangor,   75,  234,   308 
Bangor  Monthly  Meeting,   164 
Bangor  Quarterly  Meeting,  77,  79,  99, 

332 
Baptism,   attitude  of  Quakers  toward, 

255,  256 
Baptist  Church,  membership  of,   295 ; 

number  of  members  of,   in  peniten- 
tiary,  315 
Baptist  missionaries,    234 
Baraboo   (Wisconsin),  83 
Barbadoes,   movement   of   Quakers   to, 

23;   reference  to,   25;  letter  of  Fox 


339 


340 


INDEX 


to  Governor  of,   253,   254,   257;   la- 
bors of  Fox   in,   297 
Barclay,  Robert,  apology  of,  109,  280; 

reference  to,  156;  statement  by,  255 
Barnesville   (Ohio),  158 
Harrington,  Thomas,  324 
Bates,  Benjamin,   158 
Beales  family,  34 
Bean,  Joel,   324 
Bear  Creek,    172 
Bear  Creek  Monthly  Meeting,   contest 

between    factions    at,    164;    separa- 
tion in,   168 
Bear    Creek    Quarterly    Meeting,     99, 

233,    246;    Separation    of    1877    in, 

165-168;    statement   drawn   up   by, 

166,    167,    168;    action    relative    to 

reports  of,    169 
Beard,    Enoch,    50;    visit    of,    among 

Indians,  203,  204 
Beard  family,   34,  43 
Bedell,  William  P.,   154 
Beede,  Cyrus,   116,  311 
Belmont  County  (Ohio),  35,  155 
Bennett,  Justice,   297 
Berkeley,    Lord,   land  offered  for   sale 

by,  29 
Bermuda,    movement    of    Quakers    to, 

23;  reference  to,  297 
Bernard  family,  34 
Bevan,     Stacy,    meeting    held    by,    at 

Bear  Creek,  164 
Bible,  knowledge  of,   in  England,   21; 

supplying  of  families  with  copies  of, 

97;  inspiration  of,  254 
Billinge,    Edward,    purchase    of    land 

by,  29 
Birth-rate,   decrease  in,   89;   reference 

to,   150,  309 
Black    Hawk    Purchase,    38,    39,    41, 

267 
Bloomfield    (Indiana),    44 
Bloomington  (Muscatine),  67 
Bloomington  Monthly  Meeting,  208 
Bond,    John    S.,    meeting   held   by,    at 

Bear  Creek,  164 
Bond,  Zedediah,  52 
Books,    attitude    of    Quakers    toward 

reading    of,    277;    presence    of,    in 

Quaker  homes,   280 


Boone,  Daniel,  explorations  of,  in 
Kentucky,  33;  reference  to,  313 

Boston,  landing  of  first  Quakers  at, 
25 ;  deportation  of  Quakers  from, 
26;  execution  of  Quakers  at,  27,  28 

Botnen,   Knut,   321 

Botnen,  Lars,  321 

Bowles,  D.  W.,  201,  325 

Boyer,  Peter,  part  of,  in  laying  out  of 
Salem,  41;  reference  to,  46 

Boys,  use  of  White's  Institute  as  re- 
form school  for,  219-222 

Bray  family,  52 

Bronson,   Newton,  229 

Brown,  E.  Howard,  acknowledgment 
to,  314 

Brown,  John,  relations  of  Springdale 
Quakers  with,  191-197;  members  of 
band  of,  323 ;  reference  to,  324 

Brown,  John  R.,  172 

Brown,  Owen,  323 

Bruff,  James  B.,  management  of 
White's  Institute  by,  229,  230;  re- 
port of,  231 

Bruff,  Jessie,  230 

Buffum,  Arnold,  labors  of,  in  Indiana, 
134 

Burial,  method  of,  273 

Burlington,  land  sales  at,  45 ;  refer- 
ence to,  49,  221;  arrival  of  English 
Quakers  at,  56 

Bush  River  (South  Carolina),  36 

Business  meeting,  method  of  conduct- 
ing, 260 

Button,  Albert,  190 

Calendar,  character  of,  used  by  Qua- 
kers, 280,  281 

California,  85,  101,  119,  151,  242; 
rush  of  forty-niners  to,   205 

California  Yearly  Meeting,  establish- 
ment of,  92;  reference  to,   310 

Camp  Supply,  208 

Canada,  31,  56,  69,  147,  194 

Canada  family,   43 

Canada  Yearly  Meeting,  306 

Canadian  River,   208 

Carbonado  mines,  opening  of,  87 

Carey,  Joseph,  English  Quakers  at 
home  of,  61 


INDEX 


341 


Catholic  Church,  membership  of,  295 ; 
number  of  members  of,  in  peniten- 
tiary, 315 

Catholics,  attitude  of  Quakers  toward, 
18;  maltreatment  of  Quakers  by, 
29;  reference  to,   88,  211,  302 

Cavaliers,  17 

Cedar  County,  57,  163,  192,  197, 
304;  Quaker  settlements  in,  68-70; 
second  church  building  in,  69 ; 
academy  in,   246 

Cedar  Creek,  49,  50,  55,  336;  Eng- 
lish Quakers  at,   64,   65 

Cedar   Creek    (Virginia),    63 

Cedar  River,   70 

Cedar  Valley   (Jamaica),  234,  235 
'Center    (Ohio),   35 

Center  Grove,   78 ;  school  at,  248 

Center  Grove  Academy,   98 

Center  Grove  Christian  Vigilance 
Band,  310 

Central  City   (Nebraska),  227 

Central  Superintendency,  207;  man- 
agement of,  by  Iowa  Quakers,  208- 
211 

Certificates  of  membership,  302,  334 

Chambersburg   (Pennsylvania),   194 

Charles  I,   17 

Charles  II,  28,  295;  land  granted  to 
Penn  by,  30 

Chase,   Nehemiah,    149 

Cherry  Grove  Monthly  Meeting  (Indi- 
ana), 41,   336 

Chestnut  Hill,  growth  and  decline  of, 
51;  English  Quakers  at,  65 

Cheyenne  Indians,    208 

Chicago,   194 

Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul 
Railway,    86,    175 

Chicago,  Rock  Island  and  Pacific 
Railway,  60 

Chicago  and  Northwestern  Railway, 
175 

Children,  clothing  of,   161,  271 

China,  missions  in,   330 

Christ,  belief  of  Quakers  in,  254,  255 

Christian  Church,  number  of  members 
of,   in  penitentiary,   315 

Christian  Endeavor,  contributions  of, 
for  missions,  236 


Christian  Vigilance  Band,   98 
Christian    Workers'    Assembly,    origin 

of,     124,     125 ;     former    names    of, 

125;  work  and  importance  of,   125, 

126;   reference  to,  314 
Christian    "Workers'    Training    School, 

125 
Christianity,  revival  of  primitive,    17; 

reference  to,  295 
Church   machinery,    efforts    of   Hadley 

to  improve,   122 
Church  of  England,  17 
Church  workers,  training  of,   124-126 
Churches,  membership  of,  in  America, 

295,  296 
Civil  War,  256 
Claims,  purchase  of,  49 
Clark,  Dan  E.,  acknowledgment  to,  8 
Clark  County   (Missouri),   189 
Clarke  County,  333 
Clarkson,  Thomas,  statement  by,  269 
Clay,  Henry,  speech  of,  at  Richmond, 

135 
Clinton  County   (Ohio),  35,  118 
Clothing,    rules   relative   to,    at   school, 

161 
Coal,  mining  of,   in  Mahaska  County, 

86,  87 
Coal  Creek,    158 
Code  of  1851,  267,  268 
Code  of  1897,   268 
Code  Commission  of  1873,  268 
Coffin,   Charles,   80 
Coffin,  Charles  F.,  308 
Coffin,  Emma,  314 
Coffin,  Levi,   134 
Coldstream  (Ontario),  147 
Colleges,    241;    State    regulation    rela- 
tive to,  249 
Collins,   Peter,   63 
Colonies,  early  experiences  of  Quakers 

in,  25-30 
Colorado,    151 
Colored    Methodist    Episcopal    Church, 

membership  of,  296 
Columbia   (Missouri),  negro  school  at, 

200 
Columbiana  County    (Ohio),   35,   155 
Comanche  Indians,   208 
Comer,  James,   138 


342 


INDEX 


Comer,  John,  323 
Commack,    Levi,   42 
Commons  family,  43 
Conference  of  Teachers  and  Delegates 
from  Friends'  First-Day  Schools,  81 

Congregational  Church,  membership 
of,  296;  reference  to,  310;  number 
of  members  of,  in  penitentiary,  315 

Congress,  bill  in,  relative  to  Indian 
Bureau,  207 

Conservative  Friends,  88,  152,  277, 
319;  separation  of,  from  main 
body,  163-170;  separation  of,  from 
Salem  and  Springdale  Quarterly 
Meetings,  171-174;  future  of,  in 
Iowa,  181-183;  religious  beliefs  of, 
257;  uniting  of,  with  other  church- 
es, 310;  status  of,  in  Iowa,  322 

Conversation,  character  of,  among 
Quakers,   278,    279 

Conversions,  number  of,  88,  101,  120, 
286 

Cook,  Darius  B.,  311;  acknowledg- 
ment to,  320 

Cook,  Eli,  50 

Cook,   Ira,   308 

Cook,   John  E.,   323 

Cook,  Jonathan,  138;  complaint 
against,  138;  disownment  of,  139 

Cook,  Thomas,  42 

Cook  family,    43 

Cooper,   Trueman,   311 

Coppoc,  Ann,  statement  of,  to  son,  194 

Coppoe,  Barclay,  summons  of,  by 
Brown,  194;  flight  of,  to  Iowa, 
195;  complaint  against,  196,  197; 
disownment  of,  197;  reference  to, 
325 

Coppoc,  Edwin,  summons  of,  by 
Brown,  194;  hanging  of,  195;  dis- 
ownment of,   196 

Costume,  meaning  of  Quaker,  270, 
271 

Council  Grove  (Kansas),  204,  326 

Craven,   Nathan,    308 

Creed,  objections  of  Quakers  to,  253 

Crew,  Walter,   63 

Crosbie,   Archibald,    173 

Cuba,  superintendent  of  Friends  mis- 
sions in,  313;  missions  in,  330 


Cumberland    (England),  22 

Customs,   description   and  explanation 

of,   269-277 
Czar  of  Russia,  literature  sent  to,  by 

Quakers,  23 

Daggs,  Ruel,  escape  of  slaves  of,  189; 

reference  to,  323 
Dahl,  Endre,   177,   178 
Dakota  Territory,    101 
Dallas  County,  313,  333 
Dancing,  attitude  of  Quakers  toward, 

275,  276 

Darlington,  Brinton,  coming  of,  to 
Iowa,  68;  reference  to,  69,  206, 
305;  Indian  agency  of,  208;  ap- 
pointment of,  as  Indian  agent,  209; 
early  life  of,  304;  death  of,  326 

Dashiell,  M.  A.,  219 

Dean,  Maria,   314 

Death-rate,    150 

Delaware  River,   30 

Denmark    (Iowa),  323 

Denver  Quarterly  Meeting,  92 

Derbyshire,   Harvey,    182 

Derbyshire    (England),    19,   22 

Des  Moines,  312,  313 

Des  Moines  River,  49,  60,  67 

Des  Moines  Valley,  geological  investi- 
gation in,  86 

Deweese,   William  P.,   154 

Dicks,  Zachariah,  prophecy  of,  36 

Dillon,   Josiah,   311 

Dillon    (Iowa),   175 

Disciples  of  Christ,  Church  of,  mem- 
bership of,   295 

Discipline,  adoption  of,  82,  83 ; 
change  in,  144;  reference  to,  271, 
273,  274,  276;  adoption  of  uni- 
form,  306 

Disownment,  practice  of,  91,  139,  158, 
196,    197;    reasons    for,    264,    275, 

276,  301;  breaking  down  of  policy 
of,  277 

Disputes,  settlement  of,  among  Qua- 
kers,  275 

Divorce,  attitude  of  Quakers  toward, 
262 

Dixon,  C.  R.,  311 

Dorland,  Henry,  190,  328 


INDEX 


343 


Borland,  Reuben,  school  founded  by, 
241,   242;   death  of,   242 

Dorland,  Willet,  308 

Douglas,  John  Henry,  98,  116,  120, 
122,  311,  312,  313;  labors  of,  as 
General  Superintendent,  100,  101, 
118,  119;  sketch  of  life  of,  118 

Drayton    (England),   18 

Dress  of  Quakers,  description  and  ex- 
planation of,  269-271 

Dudley,    60 

Dudley,  Charles,  bill  introduced  by, 
218 

Dunbar,    175 

Durham    (England),   22 

Dutch,  62 

Dyer,  Mary,  banishment  and  execu- 
tion of,  27 

Earlham,     Summer     School     held     at, 

124;  reference  to,   163 
Earlham  Academy,  history  of,  246 
Earlham  College,   215 
Earlham  High   School,   246 
Earlham  Monthly  Meeting,  246 
East    Grove,    growth    and    decline    of, 

51;    reference    to,    55,    64;    visit   of 

English  Quakers  at,   57 
East  Grove  Monthly  Meeting,   63,  64 
Edgerton,   Joseph,    154 
Education,     attitude    of    Quakers    to- 
ward,   128;    provisions    for,    among 

Quakers,   240-250 
Edwards,   David  M.,    acknowledgment 

to,  8;  reference  to,  332 
Eldora,   location   of  reform   school   at, 

222 
Elliott,    George,    149 
Elliott,  Reuben,   149 
Emancipation  Proclamation,   197,   325 
Emery  family,   43 
England,  religious  turmoil  in,  17;  rise 

of    Quakerism    in,    17,    20,    21,    22, 

23;  spread  of  Quakerism  in,  20-23; 

reference    to,    143,    232,    266,    271, 

273,    307;    persecution    of    Friends 

in,  295 
English   Constitution,    253 
Evangelism,    rise   of,    among   Quakers, 

95-102;     effect    of,    96;    origin    of, 


96-98;  activities  of  Iowa  Yearly 
Meeting  in  field  of,  98-102;  decline 
of,  120;  reference  to,  257 

Evangelistic  Board,  314 

Evangelistic  committee,  appointment 
of,  98,  99;  report  of,  99,  100;  ref- 
erence to,  106 ;  president  of  execu- 
tive board  of,   121 

Evangelistic  work,  results  of,  120; 
reference  to,  150;  table  relative  to, 
286 

Evangelists,   amount  paid  to,  286 

Evans,  William,  visit  of,  in  Iowa,  68, 
304 

Excelsior  Coal  Company,   86 

Executive  Committee  on  the  Relief  of 
the  Freedmen,  198,  199;  coopera- 
tion of,  with  other  Yearly  Meetings, 
199 

Fairfax  Monthly  Meeting    (Virginia), 

147 
Fairfax  Quarterly  Meeting  (Virginia), 

147,   149 
Fairfield    (Maine),   118 
Fairview  Preparative  Meeting,  305 
Farquhar,  William,   308 
Farr,  Gilbert  L.,  missionary  labors  of, 

in  Jamaica,  236,  237;  reference  to, 

311,  330 
Fenwick,  John,  land  purchased  by,  29 
Fiction,    attitude   of    Quakers   toward, 

275,   276,   277 
Fip,   301 
Fisher,    Mary,   landing  of,    at  Boston, 

25  ;   deportation  of,  26 
Five  Years  Meeting,  257,  306,  312 
Ford,  Helen  F.,  238,  239 
Ford,   Jefferson  W.,  238,   239 
Foreign    Missionary    Committee,    239, 

330 
Foreign  missions,    128 
Foreign    Missions,    American    Friends' 

Board  of,   121,  232,  239,  313 
Formalism,    objection    of    Quakers    to, 

97 
Fort  Madison,  39,  49,  51,  221,  228 
Fort  Sill,  208 
Forty-niners,    rush    of,    to    California, 

205 


344 


INDEX 


Foster,  Josiah,  141,  143 

Foster,  William,  137,   141,   143 

Fourpence,   301 

Fox,  Christopher,  character  of,   18,  19 

Fox,  George,  sketch  of  life  and  teach- 
ings of,  18-23;  message  of,  20; 
spread  of  teachings  of,  20,  22; 
statement  of  Penn  concerning,  21, 
22 ;  labors  of,  in  America,  28 ;  ref- 
erence to,  29,  100,  152,  156,  203, 
234,  261,  276,  334;  death  of,  31, 
32 ;  letter  of,  to  Governor  of  Bar- 
badoes,  253,  254,  257;  journal  of, 
280;  confinement  of,  in  jail,  296; 
missionary  labors  of,    297 

France,  visits  of  Quakers  to,  23 

Franzen,  Florence,  acknowledgment 
to,  8 

Frazier,   Elihu,    189,   323 

Frazier,  Gideon,  42,  50 

Frazier,  Jonathan  A.,  323 

Frazier,   Lydia,   42 

Frazier,   Stephen,  42 

Frazier,  Thomas,  42,  46,  138;  pro- 
scription of,  135 ;  Missourians  at 
home  of,   191 

Frazier,   Thomas  Clarkson,    189,    323 

Frazier  family,  43 

Freedmen,  work  of  Quakers  for,  197- 
202;   reference  to,   206,   232 

French,  67 

Friends    (see   Quakers) 

Fry,   Abigail  M.,   224 

Fry,   John,   224 

Funerals,  attitude  of  Quakers  toward, 
272,  273 

Gallewaj',  Elizabeth  Lindsey,   304 
General    Assembly    of    Iowa,    acts    of, 

267,  268;  reference  to,  333 
General  Superintendent,  provision  for, 

100;    labors    of    Douglas    as,     100, 

101;   list  of  those  holding  office  of, 

101,    102;   origin  of  office  of,    118; 

work  of,   in  Iowa,    118-123 
Genesee    Yearly    Meeting    of    Hicksite 

Friends,  147 
George,   Jesse,   330 
Georgia,  settlement  of  Quakers  in,  32 ; 

emigration  of  Quakers  from,  35,  36 


German   Baptists,    333 

German  Evangelical  Synod,  member- 
ship of,  296 

Germantown    (Pennsylvania),    133 

Germantown  Friends'  Protest  Against 
Slavery,    133,   315 

Germany,  visits  of  Quakers  to,  23 

Gibbs,  Justice,  190 

Gibson,  Isaac  T.,  work  of,  among  ne- 
groes, 199,  200;  Indian  agency  of, 
208 ;  beginning  of  work  of,  among 
Osages,  209,  210;  work  of,  among 
Osages,  211,  212;  reference  to,  219 

Gimre,  Christian,   176 

Girls,  use  of  White's  Institute  as  re- 
form school  for,   222,  223 

Glen  Haven   (Jamaica),  237,  239 

God,  fatherhood  of,  254;  communica- 
tion of,  with  individuals,  255 

Golden    Grove    (Jamaica),    238 

Goose  Creek  Monthly  Meeting  (Vir- 
ginia),   147 

Government  Boarding  School,   224 

Grace,  saying  of,  at  table,  281 

Grant,  Ulysses  S.,  peace  policy  of, 
205-208;  plan  of  Quakers  adopted 
by,  207 

Gravestones,  attitude  toward,  273,  274 

Great  Lakes,  settlement  of  region 
south  of,  34 

Greek  Orthodox  Church,  membership 
of,  296 

Greenville  Quarterly  Meeting,  99 

Gregg,  Caleb,  coming  of,  to  Iowa, 
155;  complaint  against,  155;  con- 
troversy concerning,  155-158;  dis- 
ownment  of,   158 

Grinnell,  Jeremiah  A.,  98,  305 

Guatemala,   missions  in,   330 

Gurney,  Joseph  John,  controversy  be- 
tween Wilbur  and,  154;  sketch  of 
life  of,  318,  319 

Guthrie  County,  333 

Hadley,  A.  W.,  201 
Hadley,  Catherine  R.,  169 
Hadley,   James,    174 
Hadley,  Jesse,   308 

Hadley,  Stephen  M.,  acknowledgment 
to,   8 


INDEX 


345 


Hadley,  William  Jasper,  102 ;  labors 
of,  as  General  Superintendent,  121, 
122;  sketch  of  life  of,  313 

Hadley   family,    52 

Haines,  Witham,   149 

Haining  estate,   329 

Hammer,   Nathan,    138 

Hammer  family,  43,   53 

Hammer's  Settlement,  English  Qua- 
kers at,  60 

Hammond,   Hiram,   311 

Hampton,  Amos,  305-324 

Hampton,  Milton  J.,   311 

Hampton,  Messrs,   154 

Hanson,  John  F.,   311 

Happy  Grove   (Jamaica),  235 

Happy  Grove  Estate,   329 

Happy  Grove  School   (Jamaica),  238 

Hardin  County,  Quaker  settlements 
in,  53;  reference  to,  222,  313; 
academy  in,   246 

Harper's  Ferry,  attack  on,  195,  196, 
197 

Harris,   William,   308 

Hartland  Academy,   118 

Haskell  College,  226 

Hat,  wearing  of,  by  Quakers,  271 

Haverford  College  Library,   306 

Hawley,  James,   174 

Haworth  family,  52 

Hayes,  Rutherford  B.,   213 

Hayworth  family,  34 

Hazen,  W.  B.,  209 

Hector's  River,  238 

Heggem,  Thore,   176 

Hendricks  County   (Indiana),   313 

Henry  County,  first  Quaker  in,  39 
reference  to,  44,  58,  318,  323 
Hicksite  Friends  in,  146,  147,  149 
Norwegian  Friends  in,   175 

Heritage,  Oswell,  233 

Hiatt,  Benjamin  B.,  98;  revival  held 
by,    165,    166 

Hiatt,  John  C,  311 

Hiatt  family,   43 

Hiawatha  Quarterly  Meeting  (Nebras- 
ka), 92 

Hickory  Grove,   158,   159 

Hickory  Grove  Quarterly  Meeting,  158 

Hicks,  Elias,  preaching  of,  145 


Hicksite  Friends,  88,  158,  257;  origin 
of  sect  called,  146,  147;  first  meet- 
ing of,  in  Iowa,  147-149;  growth  of 
settlements  of,  149 ;  comparison  of 
Orthodox  Friends  and,  149-153  ;  ac- 
tivities of,  150;  number  of  meetings 
of,  150 ;  decline  of  membership  of, 
150,  151;  position  of,  in  modern 
life,  151,  152;  religious  beliefs  of, 
152,  153 ;  Indian  superintendency 
given  to,  207,  208;  uniting  of,  with 
other  churches,  310;  membership 
of,  317 

High-churchmen,    17 

Higher  criticism,  257 

Highland  County   (Ohio),  35 

Hinshaw  family,  43 

Historical  Society  of  Iowa,  State,  8 

Hoag,  Amos,  English  Quakers  accom- 
panied by,   57;   reference  to,   59 

Hoag,  Edward  F.,  acknowledgment  to, 
326 

Hoag,  Enoch,  206,  209,  308,  326; 
choice  of,  as  Indian  superintendent, 
208;  speech  of,  to  Indians,  210 

Hoag,  Joseph  D.,  53,  58,  62,  65,  216, 
303,  308;  English  Quakers  accom- 
panied by,   57 

Hoag,  Lindley  Murray,  visit  of,  to 
Norway,  177;  reference  to,  205,  308 

Hobson,  Peter,  172 

Hobson,    William,    308 

Hobson  Normal  School,  201 

Hockett,  John,   43,  45,  203 

Hockett,   Stephen,  43,   308 

Hockett,  Stephen,  Jr.,  43 

Hockett,  William,  50 

Hockett  family,  43 

Hodgins  family,  34 

Hoggatt,   Harrison,   43 

Hoggatt,  Isaac  M.,  46 

Holaday,  Abraham,  44 

Holding  associations,  schools  main- 
tained by,  241 

Holland,  visits  of  Quakers  to,  23 

Hollanders,  first  settlements  of,  in 
Iowa,  303 

Hollingsworth,    Benjamin,    308 

Holston  River,  33 

Home  life,  description  of,  278-281 


346 


INDEX 


Homes,  furnishings  of,  279,  280 

Honey  Creek  Monthly  Meeting,   164 

Honey  Creek  Quarterly  Meeting,  99, 
126,   312 

Hoover,  John  Y.,  98 

Hopewell  Monthly  Meeting  (Virginia), 
147 

Hopkinton   (Rhode  Island),  318 

Hopping  block,  258 

Hoskins  family,   43 

Hospitality,  prevalence  of,  among  Qua- 
kers,  278 

Humor,  character  of,  among  Quakers, 
279 

Hunt,  David,  206,   308,  311 

Huseboe,  Mathias,   176 

Idaho,  151 

Illinois,  39,  41,  49,  56,  66,   151,  302 

Illinois  Yearly  Meeting  of  Hicksite 
Friends,  147,  149,  318;  activities 
of,  150;  statement  of  religious  be- 
liefs by,   152,   153 

Independents,   17 

India,  missions  in,  330 

Indian  Affairs,  Associated  Executive 
Committee  of  Friends  on,  206,  207, 
208,  210,  213 

Indian  Affairs,  Bureau  of,  207 

Indian  Affairs,  Commissioner  of,  211, 
213 

Indian  Committee,  211 

Indian  reserve   (Indiana),   216 

Indiana,  settlement  of  Quakers  in,  35, 
37;  reference  to,  40,  49,  52,  61,  69, 
72,  133,  151,  216,  230,  313;  emi- 
gration from,  to  Iowa,  41,  42 

Indiana  Meeting  for  Sufferings,  79, 
83,    134,    135 

Indiana  Yearly  Meeting,  35,  54,  55, 
56,  81,  147,  199,  206,  274;  pro- 
posal for  separation  from,  76,  77; 
committee  of,  in  Iowa,  77,  78 ;  final 
decision  of,  79 ;  anti-slavery  separa- 
tion in,  134-136;  English  deputa- 
tion at,  137;  development  and  de- 
cline of  anti-slavery  movement  in, 
144,  145;  visit  of  White  to,  215; 
provision  for  establishment  of 
schools   under,    215,    216;    manage- 


ment of  White's   Institute  by,   216, 
217 

Indiana  Yearly  Meeting  of  Anti- 
Slavery  Friends,  organization  of, 
136;  reference  to,  142;  abandon- 
ment of,  145 

Indianapolis    (Indiana),  257,   312 

Indianola,    125,   245 

Indians,  38,  232,  235;  work  of  Qua- 
kers in  behalf  of,  203-214;  driving 
of,  across  Mississippi,  205 ;  uprising 
of,  205 ;  demand  for  extermination 
of,  205;  school  for,  at  White's  In- 
stitute,  224-226 

Indulged  Meeting,  petition  for  privi- 
lege of,  49 ;  establishment  of,  50, 
177 

Inner  Light,  doctrine  of,  152,  255, 
256,  261 

Iowa,  34,  101;  moulding  of  Quaker- 
ism in,  37;  first  settlements  of  Qua- 
kers in,  38-47;  increase  in  popu- 
lation of,  48 ;  spread  of  Quakers 
into  back  counties  of,  48-55;  gate- 
ways to,  49;  reasons  for  coming  of 
Quakers  to,  51;  first  Quarterly 
meeting  in,  54,  55;  number  of  Qua- 
kers in,  55,  88,  89;  visit  of  Eng- 
lish Quakers  in,  56-66;  departure 
of  English  Quakers  from,  65,  66; 
testing  of  Quakerism  in,  66 ;  settle- 
ment of,  67;  decade  of  expansion  of 
Quakerism  in,  67-73 ;  growth  of 
population  of,  70 ;  transformation 
in,  72 ;  committee  of  Indiana  Year- 
ly Meeting  in,  77,  78;  emigration  of 
Quakers  from,  85,  86 ;  decline  of 
Quaker  settlements  in,  86,  87;  rise 
of  evangelism  in,  95-102 ;  modern 
Quakerism  in,  127-129;  English 
deputation  in,  137-144;  stations  on 
Underground  Railway  in,  138,  192; 
coming  of  Hicksite  Friends  to,  147; 
coming  of  Norwegian  Friends  to, 
175;  bringing  of  slave  to,  187; 
Underground  Railway  in,  188,  189; 
work  of  Quakers  from,  among  ne- 
groes, 199-201;  work  of  Quakers 
of,  among  Indians,  208-214;  pur- 
chase  of  land   for   school   in,    216; 


INDEX 


347 


schools  and  education  among  Qua- 
kers in,  240-250 ;  exemption  fee  in, 
during  war,  256,  257;  exemption  of 
Quakers  from  marriage  laws  in, 
267,  268;  Quaker  simplicity  in, 
270;  first  white  men  in,  300 
Iowa   City,    8,    235;    English   Quakers 

at,  58,  59 
Iowa  River,  58,  70,  75,  300 
Iowa  State  Teachers'  Association,  218 
Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  (referring  to 
Orthodox  branch  after  1877),  vii, 
86,  115,  181,  205,  261;  formation 
of,  74-79;  first  meeting  of,  80-84; 
committees  of,  83 ;  hopeful  outlook 
at  opening  of,  85  ;  decline  in  mem- 
bership in,  88,  89,  115,  116;  rea- 
sons for  decline  in  membership  of, 
89-92;  scattered  membership  of,  91, 
92,  101;  separation  of  western 
meetings  from,  92 ;  separation  in, 
98 ;  evangelistic  activities  of,  98- 
102 ;  pastoral  system  adopted  by, 
106,  107;  amount  paid  in,  for  pas- 
toral support,  108 ;  number  of  mem- 
bers of,  living  outside  of  State,  116; 
General  Superintendent  of,  118- 
123 ;  Christian  Workers'  Assembly 
conducted  by,  124-126;  Separation 
of  1877  in,  163-170;  activities  of, 
in  behalf  of  freedmen,  198-202 ; 
Osage  agency  conducted  by,  210- 
214;  control  of  White's  Institute 
assumed  by,  217;  White's  Institute 
leased  to  State  by,  219;  control  of 
White's  Institute  again  assumed  by, 
223,  224;  law  suit  against,  227- 
229;  responsibility  of,  for  White's 
Institute,  229;  missionary  activities 
of,  232-239;  Penn  College  founded 
by,  248 ;  money  raised  for  Penn 
College  by,  249,  250 ;  provision  in 
discipline  of,  relative  to  grave- 
stones, 274;  table  showing  member- 
ship of,  285;  table  showing  results 
of  evangelistic  work  of,  286;  aver- 
age salary  and  term  of  pastors  in, 
312 
Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  Boarding  School, 
247,  332 


Iowa  Yearly  Meeting  of  Conservative 
Friends,  159,  172,  173,  174;  mem- 
bership of,  163 ;  meeting-places  of, 
163 ;  origin  of,  163 ;  organization 
of,  170 ;  union  of  Norwegian 
Friends  with,   179 

Ireland,  spread  of  Quaker  faith  to,  22, 
23 

Italy,  visits  of  Quakers  to,  23 

Jamaica,  movement  of  Quakers  to,  23 ; 
missionary  activities  of  Quakers  in, 
232-239,  330;  reference  to,  250; 
labors  of  Fox  in,  297;  immorality 
in,   330 

James  I,   269 

Japan,  missions  in,  330 

Jasper  County,  Quaker  settlements  in, 
53;  reference  to,  60,  83,  219,  333; 
academy  in,   246 

Jay,  Marmaduke,   138 

Jefferson  County,  settlement  of  Qua- 
kers in,  52 ;  academy  in,  246 ;  ref- 
erence to,  302,  333 

Jefferson  County   (Ohio),  35,  155 

Jepson,  Samuel,   324 

Jersej's,  growth  of  Quakerism  in,  28 

Jessop  family,  43 

Jessup,  Eli,   138 

Jessup,  Elias,  311 

Jessup,   Ely,  98 

Johnson,   Barclay,   308 

Johnson,  Caleb,  311 

Johnson,  William,  189,  323 

Johnson  family,  43 

Johnson   County,   58 

Joliet,  Louis,  landing  of,  in  Iowa,  300 

Jones  County,  Quaker  settlements  in, 
70;  reference  to,  305 

Joy,  Abram  P.,  42 

Joy,  Henry,  41,  42,   50 

Joy,  Henry  W.,  meetings  at  home  of, 
43;   death  of,   300 

Joy,  Reuben,  42 

Joy  family,  43 

Junction  City    (Kansas),   209 

Justification,  teaching  of,  256 

Kagi,  John,  323 
Kanawha  road,   35 


348 


INDEX 


Kansas,  151,  164,  192,  196,  205,  312. 
327;  work  of  Iowa  Quakers  among 
negroes  in,  199-201 ;  negro  schools 
in,  200,  201 

Kansas  Indians,  visit  of  Stanley 
among,  203,  204;  reference  to,  326 

Keates,  Harry  R.,  102,  313;  labors 
of,  as  General  Superintendent,  122, 
123;  sketch  of  life  of,  313 

Kellum,  Rachel,  reminiscence  of,  303, 
323 

Kelsey,  Rayner  W.,  304,  306 

Kempthorne,  Simon,  26 

Kennedy,  Alice,  238 

Kentucky,  Boone  in,  33;  reference  to, 
299 

Kentucky  road,   35 

Kenworthy,    Jesse  W.,    169 

Keokuk,  49,  221 

Keokuk  County,  settlements  of  Qua- 
kers in,  52 ;  Wilburite  settlement  in, 
158;  reference  to,  302,  333 

Kiowa  Indians,   208 

Kirkwood,  Samuel  J.,  195,  333 

Knudson,   Erick,    174 

Kurtzholz,  Anna,  239 

Kurtzholz,  Charles,  239 

Lancashire   (England),  22 

Land  sales,  attendance  of  Quakers  at, 
48,   49 

Latter  Day  Saints  Church,  member- 
ship of,  296 

Law  suits,  efforts  of  Quakers  to  avoid, 
275,  301 

Lawrence    (Kansas),   208,   226 

Leddra,  William,  banishment  and  ex- 
ecution of,  27,  28 

Lee  County,  Norwegian  Friends  in, 
175 ;  purchase  of  land  in,  for 
school,  216;  reference  to,  225,228, 
302 

Leeman,  William,    323 

Legislature,  act  by,  relative  to  reform 
school,    218,    219,    222 

Le  Grand,  Summer  School  held  at, 
124;  reference  to,  175,  178,  321; 
Norwegian  community  near,    176 

Le  Grand  Academy,  246 

Le  Grand  Monthly  Meeting,  177,  246 


Le  Grand  Township  (Marshall  Coun- 
ty),  175 

Lehigh  Coal  and  Navigation  Company, 
215 

Leicestershire    (England),    18,   19,  22 

Lewelling,  Henderson,  45,  138,  190, 
300;  home  of,  322 

Lewelling,  L.  U.,  222 

Lewelling  family,  43 

Lincoln,   Abraham,    197 

Lindley,   A.  H.,   311 

Lindsey,  Robert,  visit  of,  in  Iowa,  55, 
56-66;  hardships  of,  62,  63;  de- 
parture of,  from  Iowa,  65,  66;  ref- 
erence to,  68,  303,  306;  second 
visit  of,  to  Iowa,  72 ;  journal  of, 
304 

Lindsey,  Sarah,  visit  of,  to  Iowa,  72 

Linn  County,  Quaker  settlements  in, 
70;  reference  to,  152,  154,  192,  305 

Little  Cedar  Creek,  39,  40 

London    (England),  22,  307 

London  Yearly  Meeting,  deputation 
from,  in  West,  137-144;  address 
from,  139,  140;  reply  to  address 
from,  141,  142 ;  reference  to,  143, 
154 

Long  Island,  146 

Lord's  Supper,  attitude  of  Quakers 
toward,  255,  256 

Lost  Creek,  request  for  establishment 
of  meeting  at,  33 

Lost  Creek  (Tennessee),  34 

Louisiana,   151,   301 

Lowder,  Charles,  farm  leased  to,  226, 
328 

Lowder,  Matthew,  farm  leased  to,  226, 
328 

Lower  River,   English  Quakers  at,   61 

Lower  Settlement,  founding  of,  49; 
establishment  of  Quaker  meeting  at, 
49,  50 

Lutheran  Church,  number  of  members 
of,  in  penitentiary,   315 

Lutheran  General  Council,  member- 
ship of,  296 

Lutheran  General  Synod,  membership 
of,  296 

Lutheran  Synod  of  Ohio,  membership 
of,  296 


INDEX 


349 


Lutheran  Synodical  Conference,  mem- 
bership of,  296 
Lynn  Grove  Academy,  246 
Lynn  Grove   Quarterly  Meeting,   99 
Lynn  Preparative  Meeting,  failure  of, 
to  make  charge  against  Gregg,  155- 
157;  abolition  of,  158 
Lynnville,   125 

McCarty,  Joseph,  report  of,  219,  220, 
221 

McClure,  Mr.,   189,   191 

McCool,  Julia  Ann,   176 

McCool,  Thomas,   176 

McGrew,  Jacob  B.,  308 

Macy,  Henry  H.,   308 

Macy,    Samuel,    324 

Macy  family,  34 

Madison  County,  163,  164,  833;  acad- 
emy in,  246 

Magadee-Richmond  road,   35 

Mahaska  County,  Quaker  settlement 
in,  52,  53  ;  reference  to,  76,  78,  83, 
333 ;  mining  of  coal  in,  86,  87 

Maine,  69 

Manners,  description  and  explanation 
of,  269-277 

Mansetter   (England),   19 

Marcussen,    John,    178 

Marengo,  60 

Marietta  Monthly  Meeting,  318 

Marquette,  Jacques,  landing  of,  in 
Iowa,  300 

Marriage  certificate,  265,  266,  291, 
292 

Marriage  license,  exemption  from  ne- 
cessity of  securing,  267,  268 

Marriages,  method  of  solemnizing,  262- 
268;  prohibitions  placed  on,  263, 
264 

Marshall,  William,  visit  of,  to  Jamaica, 
234;  report  of,  234 

Marshall  County,  Quaker  settlements 
in,  53,  75 ;  Norwegian  Quaker  com- 
munity in,  175-180;  academies  in, 
246;  reference  to,   318 

Marshall  family,    34 

Marshalltown,  troubles  of  meeting  at, 
123;  reference  to,   125 

Martin,  Belinda  Reece,  313 


Martin,  Daniel  H.,  313 
Martin,  Zenas  L.,  102,  313;  labors  of, 
as     General     Superintendent,     120, 
121;  sketch  of  life  of,  313 
Maryland,     arrival     of     Fox     in,     28 ; 
growth   of   Quakerism   in,    28;    mal- 
treatment of  Quakers  in,  29 ;  refer- 
ence to,  30,  149 ;  settlement  of  Qua- 
kers in,  32 
Massachusetts,    laws    against   Quakers 
in,  27,  297,  298;  execution  of  Qua- 
kers in,   27,   28;   Yearly  Meeting  of 
Friends  in,  28 
Maxon,   William,   Brown's  men  lodged 
with,      192,      193;     Brown's     plans 
known  by,   193 
Maxwell  family,   34 
Meal-times  among  Friends,  281 
Medhus,  Gulik,  321 
Meeting    for    Sufferings,     origin     and 

history  of,  307 
Meeting    on    Ministry    and    Oversight, 
statement   by,    115;    summer    school 
favored  by,   124 
Meeting-house,  building  of,  45,  46,  54, 
69;    description    of,    64,    258,    259; 
disagreement  concerning  location  of, 
78;  building  of  temporary,   80,   81; 
plans  for  building  of,  83 ;  abandon- 
ment of,    145 ;    provision   for  build- 
ing  of,    148,    149;    building    of,    by 
Norwegians,  175,  177;  reference  to, 
218;  choice  of  site  for,  309 
Meltvedt,   Carney,   acknowledgment  to, 

321 
Membership,    decline   in,    88,    89,    115, 
116,   150,    151;   reasons  for  decline 
in,   89-92  ;   additions  to,  through  re- 
vivals,   101,    120,    286;    absence    of 
negroes    in,    202;    table    relative   to, 
285 
Mendenhall,  Enos,  45 
Mendenhall   family,    34,    43 
Mennonites,    333 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  member- 
ship of,  295;  reference  to,  310; 
number  of  members  of,  in  peniten- 
tiary, 315 
Methodist  Protestant  Church,  member- 
ship of,  296 


350 


INDEX 


Methodists,  mission  established  by,  204 

Mexico,  missions  in,  330 

Mexico  (Missouri),  negro  school  at, 
200 

Miami   (Ohio),   35 

Michener,  David  O.,  311 

Michigan,  56,   71 

Michigan,  Territory  of,  267 

Middle  Quarter  (Jamaica),  239 

Middle  River  settlement,  61 

Migration  of  Quakers,  31-37 

Miles,  Benjamin,  work  of,  among  In- 
dians, 212,  213;  school  conducted 
by,  224-226;  reference  to,  324 

Miles,  Elizabeth  B.,  work  of,  among 
Indians,  212;  school  conducted  by, 
224-226 

Miles,   Isaac  N.,  226 

Miles,  Laban  J.,  213,  214 

Ministers,  method  of  choosing,  112, 
113;  change  in  economic  condition 
of,  114,  115;  character  of,  115; 
number  of,  among  Quakers,  120; 
salaries  of,  120;  fund  for  care  of 
aged,  122 ;  method  of  training  of, 
124-126;  course  of  reading  for,  126 
(see  also  Pastors) 

Ministers,  Board  on  Recording,  duties 
of,  113;  reference  to,  126,  312 

Ministry,  change  of  policy  toward, 
104,  105 ;  fundamental  principles 
of,  109;  change  in  system  of,  110, 
111;  problems  confronting,  111, 
112;  problem  of  payment  of,  113, 
114;  reasons  for  lack  of  efficiency 
of,  116,  117;  recommendation  of 
Martin  relative  to,  120;  efforts  of 
Keates  to  improve,  123  (see  also 
Pastoral  System) 

Minneapolis,  83,  312 

Minneapolis  and  St.  Louis  Railway, 
175 

Minneapolis  Quarterly  Meeting,  99 

Minnesota,  101,  151 

Mission  Board,  237 

Missionary  Association,  organization 
of,  232;  work  of,  233;  reference  to, 
234,    235 

Missionary  Board,  Home  and  Foreign, 
233 


Missions,  121,  150,  182,  199,  330; 
work  of  Quakers  in,  128 ;  labors  of 
Quakers  in,  in  Jamaica,  232-239 

Mississippi  River,  37,  38,  39,  43,  49, 
56,  65,  66,  70,  73,  75,  79,  85,  137, 
205,  304;  first  Quaker  meeting  west 
of,  44 ;  first  Quarterly  Meeting  west 
of,  54,  55 ;  settlement  of  region 
west  of,  67 

Missouri,  slave-catchers  from,  51, 
144;  reference  to,  138,  151;  escape 
of  slaves  from,  187-191;  work  of 
Iowa  Quakers  among  negroes  in, 
199-201;    negro  schools  in,    200 

Missouri  River,   61 

Missourians,  attempt  of,  to  recapture 
slaves,  189-191;  presence  of,  at 
Salem,    323 

Mister,  rejection  of  term,  272 

Mitchellville,  reform  school  located  at, 
223 

Moffitt,    Charles  W.,    323 

Monroe  County    (Ohio),    155 

Montana,    151 

Montgomery,  Thomas,  resignation  of, 
172,   173 

Monthly  Meeting,  first,  in  Iowa,  44; 
establishment  of,  52 ;  character  of, 
74 ;  duty  of,  in  choice  of  ministers, 
112;  reference  to,  264,  275 

Monthly  Meetings,  number  of,  150; 
committees  of,  on  welfare  of  ne- 
groes, 198 ;  schools  maintained  by, 
240,  241;  queries  read  in,  274, 
289,  290;  libraries  maintained  by, 
277;  reference  to,  302 

Moore,  Thomas,   308 

Moorman  family,  52 

Morant  Bay    (Jamaica),   237,   238 

Morgan,   David,    205,    308 

Morgan,  J.  W.,  statement  by,  82 ; 
school  founded  by,  245 ;  reference 
to,  308,  332;  acknowledgment  to, 
309 

Morgan,   William   B.,    332 

Morgan    County    (Ohio),    155 

Mormons,  objections  of  Quakers  to, 
51;   reference  to,   175,    193 

Mosher,  L.  O.,  acknowledgment  to, 
317 


INDEX 


351 


Mosher,  Stephen,   149 

Mt.    Hamill,    302 

Mt.  Pleasant,  57,  323;  reform  school 
located  at,   223 

Mt.  Vernon  Quarterly  Meeting  (Ne- 
braska), 92,   99 

Muscatine,  new  gateway  for  Quakers 
at,  53,   67,   68;  reference  to,   208 

Muscatine  County,  Hicksite  Friends 
in,  149;  reference  to,  192,  318, 
333 

Music,  attitude  of  Quakers  toward, 
275,    276 

Names,   use  of  first,   272 

Nantucket,  emigration  of  Quakers 
from,  32 

Naylor,  A.  W.,   311 

Nebraska,  101,  151 

Nebraska  Yearly  Meeting,  establish- 
ment of,   92 

Negroes,  labors  of  Quakers  in  behalf 
of,  187-202 

Negus,   Israel,   308,  324 

Negus,  Jesse,   173,   174,   320 

Neosho  River,   204 

Nettle  Creek   (Indiana),   142 

Nevis,   297 

New  England,  landing  of  first  Qua- 
kers in,  24,  25;  spread  of  Quaker- 
ism in,  28 ;  suppression  of  Quakers 
in,  29;  reference  to,  154,  156,  279, 
301 

New  England  Yearly  Meeting,  Wil- 
burite  separation  in,  154 ;  reference 
to,  206,  298;  regulation  of  dress 
by,  269,  270 

New  Garden,  growth  and  decline  of, 
51;  reference  to,  55,  89,  137,  139; 
English  Quakers  at,    65 

New  Garden  Monthly  Meeting  (North 
Carolina),    33 

New  Garden  Quarterly  Meeting  (Indi- 
ana),   anti-slavery  activities   at,  134 

New  Hope   (Tennessee),  34 

New  Jersey,  purchase  of  land  in,  by 
Quakers,  29;  emigration  of  Qua- 
kers from,  32 ;   reference  to,   322 

New  Providence,    125,    313 

New  Providence  Academy,   227,   246 


New  Sharon,    125 

New  York,   69 

New  York  City,   61,   137,   234 

New  York  Yearly  Meeting,  81,  147, 
206,    313 

Newberg   (Oregon),  310 

Newberg  Quarterly  Meeting  (Ore- 
gon), 92 

Newhall,  John  B.,  statement  by,  39, 
40,    46 

Newlin,   Achsah,    44 

Newport   (Indiana),   134,   136 

Newton,  60 

Nicholson,  Thomas,   172 

Non-conformists,    17 

Norfolk  County  (Virginia),  disap- 
pearance of  Quakers  from,    32 

North,  Jesse,   154 

North   Branch,    173 

North  Branch  Monthly  Meeting,  sep- 
aration in,    168 

North  Carolina,  growth  of  Quakerism 
in,  28;  movement  of  Quakers  in, 
32 ;  settlement  of  Quakers  in,  32 ; 
emigration  of  Quakers  from,  33, 
35;   reference  to,   52,   312 

North  Carolina  Yearly  Meeting,   56 

North  Dakota,    151 

Northern    Superintendency,    207 

Northumberland    (England),    22 

Northwest  Territory,  33,  133,  299; 
emigration  of  Friends  to,   34-37 

Northwestern  Freedmen's  Aid  Com- 
mission, 199 

Norway,  visits  of  Quakers  to,  23;  ref- 
erence to,  176;  visit  of  Hoag  to, 
177,    178 

Norwegian  Friends,  history  of,  in 
Iowa,  175-180;  school  maintained 
by,    179,    180 

Norwegians,  321 

Nottinghamshire    (England),    19,    22 

Oakley,     57,     60,     72,     304;     English 

Quakers  at,  59 ;  William  Evans  at, 

68 
Oath,  refusal  of  Quakers  to  take,  256 
Ohio,    settlement    of    Quakers    in,    35, 

36;    reference  to,    52,    69,    72,    149, 

155,    158,   194 


852 


INDEX 


Ohio  River,  35,  49 

Ohio  Valley,  37 

Ohio  Yearly  Meeting,  56,  147,  155, 
199,  206,  306;  Wilburite  separa- 
tion in,   154 

Ohio  Yearly  Meeting  of  Wilbur 
Friends,    158 

Oklahoma,    151 

Oleson,  Anna,  removal  of,  to  Marshall 
County,    176 

Oleson,  Soren,  removal  of,  to  Mar- 
shall County,    176 

Olson,  Anna,    179 

Olson,    Omund,    175 

Orange   Bay    (Jamaica),    239 

Ordinance  of  1787,  33,  34,  37,  187 

Oregon,   101,   151;  emigration  to,  205 

Oregon  Yearly  Meeting,  establishment 
of,   92 

Orthodox  Friends,  88,  274,  277,  306; 
decline  among,  88,  89 ;  reasons  for 
decline  among,  89-92;  obliteration 
of  ancient  characteristics  among, 
95 ;  effect  of  evangelism  on,  96 ; 
ministry  among,  109-117;  method 
of  choosing  ministers  among,  113; 
modern  activities  of,  128,  129; 
comparison  of  Hicksite  Friends 
and,  149-153 ;  number  of  meetings 
of,  150;  withdravs^al  of  Norwegian 
Friends  from,  179;  possible  re- 
union of  Conservatives  and,  183 ; 
Indian  superintendency  given  to, 
207;  veork  of,  among  Indians,  208- 
214;  missionary  activities  of,  232- 
239;  progressive  character  of,  257; 
membership  of,  in  America,  296; 
birth-rate  among,  309;  uniting  of, 
with  other  churches,  310;  average 
salary  and  term  of  pastors  among, 
312 

Osage  Agency,  210,  224;  conduct  of, 
by  Iowa   Quakers,   210-214 

Osage  Agency  Manual  Labor  Board- 
ing School,  report  on,   212,   213 

Osage  Indians,  208;  beginning  of 
work  of  Gibson  among,  209,  210; 
work  of  Iowa  Quakers  among,  211- 
214 

Osage  Reservation,  327 


Osborn,  Elwood,  complaint  against, 
138;  retraction  of,   138,   139 

Osborn    family,    43 

Oskaloosa,  7,  8,  76,  78,  82,  98,  125, 
165,  168,  171,  236,  247,  248,  250, 
309,  312;  coal  mine  near,  86; 
organization  of  Conservative  Yearly 
Meeting  at,   170 

Oskaloosa   Quartei'ly  Meeting,    99 

Overseers,  duties  of,  274,  275 

Owen,  D.  D.,  coal  discovered  by,   86 

Owen,  James,   205,   308 

Pacific  Coast,  31,  86,  241 

Painter,  John  H.,  coming  of,  to  Iowa, 
68 ;  meetings  held  at  home  of,  69 ; 
Brown  at  home  of,  193 ;  Brown's 
plans  known  by,   193 

Palestine,  visits  of  Quakers  to,  23 ; 
missions  in,   330 

Parents,  moral  teaching  of  children 
by,  262 

Parker's  Mill,   60 

Parsons,    Luke  J.,    323 

Parsons  (Kansas),  negro  school  at, 
201 

Parvin,  John  A.,  bill  introduced  by, 
218;   reference  to,   219,   221 

Pasadena  Quarterly  Meeting  (Cali- 
fornia), 310 

Pastoral  care,  committees  on,  103, 
104,   106 

Pastoral  system,  importance  of,  103 ; 
origin  of,  103-105;  adoption  of, 
105-107;  operation  of,  107,  108; 
problems  connected  with,  108 ;  ref- 
erence to,    150    (see   also   Ministry) 

Pastors,  increase  in  number  of,  107, 
108;  support  of,  107,  108;  duties 
of,  111,  114,  115;  effect  of  con- 
stant changing  of,  116;  average 
salary  of,  312;  average  term  of, 
312;  sex  of,  314  (see  also  Minis- 
ters) 

Pearce  family,  34 

Pearson,   John,    311 

Pearson,  William,   308 

Peasley,  Enoch,   305 

Pella,   62,   303 

Penitentiaries,  inmates  of,  315 


INDEX 


353 


Penn,  Admiral,  29 

Penn,  William,  statement  by,  21,  22, 
255,  262;  cause  of  Quakers 
espoused  by,  29;  claim  of,  against 
crown,  29;  grant  of  land  secured 
by,  30;  character  of  colony  estab- 
lished by,  30;  reference  to,  156, 
248;  writings  of,  280;  book  pub- 
lished by,  295 

Penn  College,  8,  126,  227,  243; 
founding  of,  247,  248 ;  opening  of, 
248;  work  of,  249;  campaign  to 
raise  money  for,  249,  250;  presi- 
dents of,  332 

Pennsylvania,  growth  of  influence  of, 
30;  stronghold  of  Quakerism  in, 
30;  emigration  of  Quakers  from, 
32,  35;  reference  to,  69,  215,  295, 
301,  304,  322;  flight  of  Coppoc 
through,  195;  fines  against  Qua- 
kers in,  295 

Penrose,   Clarkson   T.,    173,    174,   328 

Peoria    (Illinois),   70 

Permanent  Board,  307,  312 

Persecution,  extent  of,  295 

Pettit,  William,   311 

Philadelphia,  215,   248 

Philadelphia  Yearly  Meeting,  56,  206, 
306;  Hicksite  separation  in,   146 

Phillips  family,   34 

Picaj'une,   301 

Pickard,   Henry,   44 

Pickard,  James,  172 

Pickering,  John  H.,  311,  323 

Pickering,    Sarah   Ann,    52 

Pictures,  280 

Pidgeon,  Isaac,  immigration  of,  to 
Iowa,  38-40;  meeting  of  Street  and, 
40 ;  cabin  built  by,  40 ;  part  of,  in 
laying  out  of  Salem,  41 ;  reference 
to,  46 

Pidgeon,  William  K.,  46 

Pidgeon  family,  43 

Pierson,  William  L,,  314 

Pilot  Grove,  separation  at,   171,   172 

Platte  Valley  Quarterly  Meeting  (Ne- 
braska),  92 

Pleasant  Plain,  49,  55,  76,  302,  304, 
308,  328,  336;  establishment  of 
Quaker    meeting    at,    50;    founding 

23 


of,  52 ;  early  growth  of,  52 ;  Eng- 
lish Quakers  at,  62 ;  first  Sunday 
school  at,  97 

Pleasant  Plain  Academy,  246 

Pleasant  Plain  Monthly  Meeting,  54, 
62 

Pleasant  Plain  Quarterly  Meeting,  es- 
tablishment of,  75 ;  reference  to, 
77,    79,    83,   99,   332 

Politics,  attitude  of  Quakers  toward, 
128,    314 

Polk  County,   223 

Pope,  efforts  of  Quakers  to  convert,  23 

Poughkeepsie    (New  York),  241 

Poweshiek  County,   333 

Prairie  Grove,  founding  of,   147 

Prairie  Grove  Monthly  Meeting,  es- 
tablishment of,  147,  148;  building 
of  meeting-house  for,  148,  149; 
reference  to,    149,   318 

Prairie  Grove  Quarterly  Meeting,  149, 
317,  318;  scattered  membership  of, 
151 

Prayer,  procedure  during,  260 

Preaching,  attitude  of  Quakers  to- 
ward,  110,   111 

Preparative  Meetings,  establishment 
of,  50,  71;  reference  to,  52,  264; 
character  of,  74;  schools  main- 
tained by,  240,  241;  queries  read 
in,  274,   289,  290;  position  of,  306 

Presbyterian  Church,  membership  of, 
295,  296;  reference  to,  310;  num- 
ber of  members  of,  in  penitentiary, 
315 

Presbyterian  missionaries,   234 

Presbyterians,    17 

Primitive  Baptist  Church,  membership 
of,   296 

Pronouns,  use  of,  by  Quakers,  271 

Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  member- 
ship of,  296 

Protestants,    88 

Providence   (Rhode  Island),   118 

Public  schools,  patronage  of,  95 ;  re- 
lation of  Quakers  to,  244,  245 

Pugh,  Polly,  40 

Puritans,  effort  of  church  to  crush 
advance  of,  17;  attitude  of  Quakers 
toward    intolerance    of,    18 ;    objec- 


354 


INDEX 


tions  of,  to  coming  of  Quakers,  25, 
26;  execution  of  Quakers  by,  27, 
28 ;   suppression  of  Quakers  by,   29 

Quaker  meeting,  change  in  character 
of,  95 ;  description  of,  at  present 
time,  110,  111;  abandonment  of 
old-time  form  of,  111;  description 
of   old-time,    258-261 

Quaker   Ridge,    70 

Quakerism,  character  of  message  of, 
17;  rise  of,  in  England,  17,  20,  21, 
22,  23 ;  spread  of,  in  England,  20- 
23;  spread  of,  in  colonies,  28;  new- 
opening  for  growth  of,  29 ;  strong- 
hold of,  in  America,  30;  moulding 
of,  in  Iowa,  37;  beginnings  of,  in 
Iowa,  47;  testing  of,  in  West,  66; 
decade  of  expansion  of,  in  Iowa, 
67-73;  vigor  of  western,  82;  loss  of 
distinctive  features  of,  89;  factors 
in  producing  new  form  of,  95,  96 ; 
problems  confronting,  117;  view  of 
modern,  in  Iowa,  127-129;  heydey 
of,  in  South,   299 

Quakers,  origin  of  testimonies  and 
principles  of,  18;  protest  of, 
against  wrongs,  18 ;  appreciation  of 
work  of,  18 ;  persecution  of,  23, 
295;  missionary  zeal  of,  in  early 
years,  23 ;  landing  of  first,  in 
America,  24,  25;  objections  of 
Puritans  to  coming  of,  25,  26; 
early  experiences  of,  in  American 
colonies,  25-30;  pioneer  character 
of,  31;  scattered  situation  of,  31; 
westward  migration  of,  31-37;  de- 
cline in  missionary  zeal  of,  31,  32; 
opposition  of,  to  slavery,  35-37, 
133-145,  187;  first  settlements  of, 
in  Iowa,  38-47;  part  of,  in  early 
settlement  of  Iowa,  48,  49;  spread 
of,  into  back  counties  in  Iowa, 
48-55;  keenness  of,  for  agricul- 
tural land,  49 ;  reasons  for  coming 
of,  to  Iowa,  51;  reasons  for  re- 
moval of,  from  southeastern  Iowa, 
51;  number  of,  in  Iowa,  55,  88, 
89;  westernmost  meeting  of,  61; 
gateways      for,      into      Iowa,      67; 


spread  of  settlements  of,  in  Iowa, 
67-73;  increase  in  number  of  meet- 
ings of,  74;  stages  of  church  or- 
ganization of,  74,  75 ;  tendencies 
toward  effective  organization 
among,  74 ;  first  Yearly  Meeting  of, 
in  Iowa,  80-84 ;  emigration  of, 
from  Iowa,  85,  86;  last  fifty  years 
of  history  of,  in  Iowa,  85-92 ;  de- 
cline of  settlements  of,  86,  87; 
branches  of,  in  Iowa,  88 ;  number 
of,  in  other  churches,  90 ;  inability 
of,  to  adapt  themselves  to  changed 
conditions,  90,  91;  uncertainty 
among,  as  to  future,  92,  108,  182; 
liberalizing  forces  among,  92 ;  ob- 
literation of  ancient  characteristics 
of,  95 ;  rise  of  evangelism  among, 
95-102;  attitude  of,  toward  study 
of  scriptures,  96,  97;  appearance 
of  spirit  of  revival  among,  97,  98; 
pastoral  system  among,  103-108; 
ministry  among,  109-117;  objection 
of,  to  hireling  ministry,  114;  work 
of  General  Superintendent  among, 
118-123;  lack  of  leadership  among, 
116;  Christian  Workers'  Assembly 
conducted  by,  124-126;  position  of, 
in  modern  life,  127-129;  Hicksite 
branch  of,  in  Iowa,  146-153;  Wil- 
burite  branch  of,  in  Iowa,  154- 
162;  Separation  of  1877  among, 
163-170;  Norwegian  branch  of, 
175-180;  labors  of,  in  behalf  of 
negroes,  187-202;  relations  of,  with 
John  Brown,  191-197;  work  of, 
for  freedmen,  197-202;  work  of,  in 
behalf  of  Indians,  203-214;  plan 
of,  adopted  by  Grant,  207;  mis- 
sionary activities  of,  232-239;  edu- 
cational work  among,  240-250;  re- 
ligious beliefs  of,  253-257,  295; 
description  of  meeting-houses  of, 
258,  259;  description  of  meetings 
of,  259-261;  marriages  among,  262- 
268;  marrying  of,  with  outsiders 
prohibited,  263,  264;  exemption  of, 
from  marriage  laws,  267,  268; 
dress  of,  269-271;  manners  and 
customs  of,   269-277;    terms   of   ad- 


INDEX 


355 


dress  used  by,  271,  272;  first 
names  used  by,  272;  attitude  of, 
toward  funerals,  272,  273;  attitude 
of,  toward  gravestones,  273,  274; 
circumspection  in  temporal  affairs 
among,  274,  275;  settlement  of 
disputes  among,  275;  attitude  of, 
toward  amusements  and  fiction, 
275-277;  home  life  among,  278- 
281;  calendars  of,  280,  281;  que- 
ries asked  of,  289,  290;  marriage 
certificate  of,  291,  292;  origin  of 
term,  297;  other  names  borne  by, 
297;  law  against,  in  Massachusetts, 
297,  298;  politics  of,  314;  number 
of,    in   penitentiary,    315 

Quarterly  Meetings,  establishment  of, 
72,  75,  83;  character  of,  74,  75; 
number  of,  88;  duty  of,  in  choice 
of  ministers,  112;  committees  of, 
on  welfare  of  negroes,  198 ;  schools 
maintained  by,    241 

Quebec,  178 

Queries,    289,    290 

Randolph   County    (Indiana),    41 

Ratliff,  Ephraim  B.,   172,   182,   308 

Reader,  Rachel,  52 

Realf,  Richard,   323 

Red  Cedar,   154,  158,  304,  308 

Red  Cedar  Monthly  Meeting,  estab- 
lishment of,  69;  growth  of,  69; 
reference  to,  71,  155,  244,  304, 
305,  319;  attempt  of,  to  discipline 
Gregg,  155-158;  Wilburite  separa- 
tion in,  157,  158;  Gregg  disowned 
by,    158 

Red  Cedar  Preparative  Meeting,  158 

Red  Cedar  Quarterly  Meeting,  estab- 
lishment of,  72,  75 ;  proposal  of, 
relative  to  Yearly  Meeting,  75,  76; 
reference  to,    77,    79,    83 

Reece   family,    34 

Rees,  Eli,   314 

Reese,  William,   308 

Reform  school,  use  of  White's  Insti- 
tute as,  218-223;  location  of,  at 
Eldora,  222;  location  of,  at  Mt. 
Pleasant,  223 ;  location  of,  at 
Mitchellville,    223 


Reformation,    20 

Reformed  Dutch  Church,  membership 
of,   296 

Reformed  German  Church,  member- 
ship of,  296 

Religious  beliefs,  statement  of,  152, 
153,    253-257,    295 

Renewals,    number  of,    286 

Representative  Meeting,  subject  of  In- 
dians taken  up  by,  205,  206 

Republican   party,    314 

Resurrection,   254 

Revival,  appearance  of  spirit  of,  97, 
98 

Revival  meetings,  recommendation  rel- 
ative to,  121;  holding  of,  among 
Quakers,  164,  165;  number  of, 
held,  286;  reference  to,  303 

Revolutionary  War,   34,   295 

Rhode  Island,  spread  of  Quakerism 
in,  27 

Richards,   Jonathan,   210 

Richardson,    Richard,   323 

Richland,  49,  55,  62,  304;  founding 
of,   52 

Richmond  (Indiana),  speech  of  Clay 
at,   135;  reference  to,   137 

Richmond    Declaration,    257 

Rinden,   Jon,    321 

Robinson,   Ann,   233 

Robinson,  William,  banishment  and 
execution  of,   27 

Rocky  Mountains,    119 

Rocky  Run,  founding  of,  52 ;  refer- 
ence to,    62 

Rogers,  Ansel,   71 

Roldol  Valley  (Norway),  emigration 
from,   178 

Rosenberger,  Absolom,  314,   332 

Roundheads,    17 

Rowntree,  Henrj%  324 

Ruebottom,   Thomas,   44 

Rushville    (Illinois),    38,    39 

St.  Albans    (Maine),   118 

St.    Joseph    (Missouri),    negro    school 

at,   200 
St.  Maria    (Jamaica),  239 
Salaries,    recommendation    relative    to, 

120 


356 


INDEX 


Salem,  39,  47,  49,  50,  51,  55,  56,  64, 
98,  134,  135,  136, -172,  176,  191, 
199,  208,  219,  222,  300,  303,  304, 
308;  early  growth  of,  41-44;  lay- 
ing out  of,  41;  establishment  of 
Monthly  Meeting  at,  44,  45 ;  build- 
ing of  meeting-house  at,  45,  46 ; 
description  of  Quaker  meeting  at, 
46 ;  meeting  of  old  settlers  of,  46 ; 
increase  in  importance  of,  53,  54; 
erection  of  new  meeting-house  at, 
54;  English  Quakers  at,  57,  63, 
64,  137,  138,  139-144;  position  of, 
67;  anti-slavery  separation  at,  138, 
139;  development  and  decline  of 
anti-slavery  movement  at,  144,  145 ; 
Norse  meeting-house  near,  175;  ac- 
tivities of  Quakers  at,  in  behalf  of 
slaves,  187-191;  purchase  of  land 
for  school  near,  216;  educational 
institutions  at,  241-243;  Missouri- 
ans  at,  323 

Salem  (Indiana),  300 

Salem    (New  Jersey),  300 

Salem   (Ohio),  300 

Salem   (Oregon),  310 

Salem  Monthly  Meeting,  establishment 
of,    44,    45 ;    reference    to,    49,    54, 

63,  146,  171,  242,  300,  333,  336; 
committee  of,  to  investigate  study 
of  scriptures,  97;  committee  of,  on 
pastoral  care,  103 ;  anti-slavery 
separation  in,  138,  139;  English 
deputation  at,  143 ;  burying  ground 
purchased  by,  145 ;  message  of,  to 
Indians,  203,  204;  interest  of,  in 
education,  241 

Salem  Quarterly  Meeting,  establish- 
ment of,    54,   55,    75 ;    reference  to, 

64,  77,  99,  243 ;  separation  in, 
171,    172 

Salem  Quarterly  Meeting  (Oregon), 
92 

Salem  Quarterly  Meeting  of  Conser- 
vative Friends,  organization  of, 
172;    closing  of,    182 

Salem  Seminary,  founding  of,  242 ; 
work  of,  242 ;  reorganization  of, 
242 

Salutations,  304 


Salvation  Army,   233 

Sanctification,  teaching  of,  256 

Sanctifications,    number  of,    286 

Scandinavians,   prosperity  of,   320 

Scattergood  Boarding  School,  descrip- 
tion of,  160;  rules  and  regulations 
of,  160,  161;  effect  of  training  re- 
ceived at,   161,  162 

Scearcy,   William,   statement  by,   302 

Schooley,  James,  305,  324 

Schoolhouse,  services  held  in,  148,  177 

Schools,  survey  of,  among  Quakers  in 
Iowa,   240-250 

Schuyler  County   (Illinois),  38 

Scotland,  spread  of  Quaker  faith  to, 
22 

Scripture  schools,  83 ;  introduction  of, 
95;  origin  of,  97 

Scriptures,  knowledge  of,  in  England, 
21;  attitude  of  Quakers  toward 
study  of,   96,   97 

Seaside   (Jamaica),  237,  239 

Seaside  School   (Jamaica),  236 

Sedalia  (Missouri),  negro  school  at, 
200;  abandonment  of  school  at, 
201 

Seebohm,  Benjamin,  55,  56-66,  68, 
303;  preaching  by,  59,  64;  hard- 
ships of,  62,  63;  departure  of, 
from  Iowa,   65,   66 

Seminaries,  241;  establishment  and 
maintenance  of,  by  Quakers,  243- 
247 

Separation  of  1877,  98,  104;  history 
of,   in  Iowa,    163-170 

Separatists,    17 

Shambaugh,  Benj.  F.,  editor's  intro- 
duction by,  5 ;  acknowledgment  to, 
9 

Sharpless,  Evi,  desire  of,  to  visit 
West  Indies,  233;  labors  of,  in 
Jamaica,  234,  235 

Sherman,    Anna,   239 

Silent  worship,  abandonment  of,   111 

Siler,  Jeremiah  H.,  44 

Siveter,  Thomas,   308 

Skunk  River,  49,  67 

Slaughter,  Mr.,   189,   191 

Slave  trade,  attitude  of  Quakers  to- 
ward,  187 


INDEX 


357 


Slavery,  protest  of  Quakers  against, 
18,  133 ;  emigration  of  Quakers  on 
account  of,  35-37;  opposition  of 
Quakers  to,  133-145,  187;  first 
formal   document   against,    315 

Slaves,  escape  of,  from  Missouri,  188- 
191;  attempt  of  Missourians  to  re- 
capture, 189-191;  bringing  of,  to 
Springdale  by  Brown,  194 ;  fugi- 
tive,  322,   323 

Smith,    Benjamin,    308 

Smith,  Evan,  158 

Smith,  William  P.,   311 

Snow,   G.   C,   210 

Sonship,  254 

South,  migration  of  Quakers  to,  32 ; 
emigration  of  Quakers  from,  35- 
37;  work  of  Quakers  among  ne- 
groes in,  199-201;  heydey  of  Qua- 
kerism in,  299 

South  Carolina,  settlement  of  Qua- 
kers in,  32 ;  emigration  of  Quakers 
from,  35,  36;  reference  to,  38 

South  River,   308 

South  River  Quarterly  Meeting,   77 

Southland  College,  201 

Spanish,   67 

Spiritualists,   number  of,   296 

Spring  Bank  Quarterly  Meeting  (Ne- 
braska),  92 

Spring  Creek,  53,  76,  78,  247,  308; 
English  Quakers  at,  62 ;  descrip- 
tion of,  80 ;  first  Yearly  Meeting 
at,  80-84;  decline  and  disappear- 
ance of,   86,  87 

Spring  Creek   Boarding   School,    82 

Spring  Creek  Institute,   248 

Spring  Creek  Preparative  Meeting,  62 

Spring  Creek  Quarterly  Meeting,  es- 
tablishment of,   83 

Spring  River,  55 

Springdale,  69,  70,  208,  323,  325; 
separation  at,  172,  173 ;  John 
Brown  and  his  men  at,  191-197; 
schools  at,   244,  245 

Springdale  Monthly  Meeting,  173, 
245,  324;  statement  by,  concerning 
Brown,    195,    196 

Springdale  Preparative  Meeting,    197 

Springdale  Quarterly  Meeting,  99 


Springdale  Quarterly  Meeting  of  Con- 
servative Friends,  establishment  of, 
174 

Springdale  Seminary,  history  of,  244, 
245 

Springfield  (Missouri),  negro  school 
at,   200 

Springville,   152,   154,   158 

Springwater  Preparative  Meeting,  es- 
tablishment of,   71,   72 

Spurrier,  R.,  46 

Squatters,  rush  of,  into  Iowa,  48 

Stacey,  George,  address  read  by,  139, 
140;   reference  to,   141,   143 

Stafford,  Thomas,  53,  62 ;  coming  of, 
to  Iowa,   86 

Stanfield  family,  34 

Stanford   Seminary,    246 

Stanley,    Jeremiah,    158 

Stanley,   Sada  M.,  238 

Stanley,  Thomas,  visit  of,  among  In- 
dians, 203,  204;  work  of,  among 
Indians,  204,  205 

Stanton  family,  43 

Staples,   Asa,   305 

Staples,   James,   324 

Starbuck,  Isaac,  308 

State,  White's  Institute  under  control 
of,   218-223 

Stavanger,  175;  beginnings  of,  176; 
meeting  established  at,  177;  meet- 
ing-house erected  at,  177;  arrival 
of  newcomers  at,  177;  union  of 
Friends  at,  .  with  Conservatives, 
178,  179;  boarding  school  at,  179, 
180 ;  unique  character  of,  180 

Stavanger  (Norway),  emigration 
from,    178;   reference  to,   321 

Stavanger  Boarding  School,  rules  and 
regulations   of,    287,   288 

Stephenson,  Marmaduke,  banishment 
and  execution  of,   27 

Stevens,  Aaron  D.,   323 

Stockholders'    Association,    246 

Story  County,  Quakers  in,  53 

Stratton,  Elisha,  305,  308 

Street,  Aaron,  coming  of,  to  Iowa,  39, 
40 ;  meeting  of  Pidgeon  and,  40 ; 
part  of,  in  laying  out  of  Salem,  41; 
reference  to,  45,  46,  190,  300 


358 


INDEX 


Street,  Aaron,  Jr.,   138 

Stuart  Monthly  Meeting,   233 

Sugar  Creek,   175,   176 

Summer  School,  holding  of  first,   124; 

change  of  name  of,   125 
Summit   Grove  Monthly  Meeting,   sep- 
aration in,    168 
Sunday   schools,    introduction    of,    95; 

origin    of,    97;    reference    to,    220; 

contributions   of,    for   missions,    236 
Surveyor,  48 
Susquehanna      Indians,      attempt     of 

Quakers  to  purchase  land  from,  29 
Sweet,  Charles  W.,  314 
Swift,    Arthur    H.,    missionary   labors 

of,   in  Jamaica,    236-238;   death  of, 

238 
Swift,  H.  Alma,  missionary  labors  of, 

in  Jamaica,   238 

Tabor,   Erwin   G.,   311 

Tatum,  David,  305 

Tatum,  Laurie,  English  Quakers  at 
home  of,  59 ;  coming  of,  to  Iowa, 
68 ;  meetings  held  at  home  of,  69 ; 
reference  to,  116,  308,  324,  326; 
Indian  agency  of,  208;  appoint- 
ment of,  as  Indian  agent,  209 

Taylor,  Mary  T.,  227 

Taylor,  Silas,  227 

Teas  family,  43 

Tennessee,  33,  52,  60,  299;  Quakers 
in  early  history  of,  34 

Testimonies,  origin  of,  18;  reference 
to,  256,  261;  persecution  because 
of,   295 

Texas,   101 

Thatcher,  David,   311 

Theater,  attitude  of  Quakers  toward, 
275,   276,   277 

Thee,  use  of  word,  by  Quakers,  271, 
272 

Thomas  family,   43 

Thompson,    Olney,    308 

Thompson,   Torno,   321 

Thornburgh  family,  34 

Thorndyke,  Anna,  248 

Thorndyke,    Henry,    248 

Thorndyke  Institute,  248,  332 

Thou,   use  of  word,   271,   272 


Three  Rivers,   region  of,   53 ;    English 

Quakers  at  settlement  on,  60,  61 
Tidd,   Charles  H.,   323 
Timer  in  Quaker  meeting,  260 
Tipton,    304 

Titles,  use  of,  by  Quakers,  272 
Tomlinson,  John,  308 
Towns,    movement    of    population    to, 

89,  90 
Townsend,     Elizabeth    R.,    missionary 

work  of,   235 
Townsend,  James,   192 
Townsend,  Jesse,  missionary  work  of, 

235 
Training  School  for  Indian  Children, 

225 
Travelers  Rest,   192 
Trueblood,    Benjamin,    311,    332 
Trueblood,  Mathew,   172 
Turkey,  visit  of  Quakers  to,   23 

Underground  Railway,  stations  on,  in 
Iowa,  138,  192;  operation  of,  188, 
189 

Union  College  Association  of  Friends, 
248 

Union  Quarterly  Meeting  (Nebraska), 
92 

Unitarian  Church,  310 

United  Brethren  Church,  membership 
of,  296;  number  of  members  of,  in 
penitentiary,    315 

United  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church, 
membership  of,   296 

United  Presbyterian  Church,  member- 
ship of,  296 

Universalist  Church,  310 

University  of  Iowa,   State,  245 

Van  der  Zee,  Jacob,  acknowledgment 
to,   8 

Vermillion  Monthly  Meeting  (Illi- 
nois), 44,  300 

Vermont,  69 

Vinye,  Mons,  321 

A^irginia,  growth  of  Quakerism  in,  28; 
settlement  of  Quakers  in,  32;  emi- 
gration of  Quakers  from,  32,  35; 
reference  to,  147,  149,  187,  195, 
301 


INDEX 


359 


Waldron,  Dr.,  235 

Wapsinonoc  Monthly  Meeting,  149, 
318 

War,  protest  of  Quakers  against,  18, 
256,  257 

War,  Department  of,  207 

Warren  County,  Quaker  settlements 
in,  53  ;  academy  in,  245  ;  reference 
to,  302,  333 

Warren   County    (Ohio),    35 

Warwickshire   (England),  19,  22 

Washington,    151,    226 

Washington,  D.  C,  207 

Washington  County,   58 

Washington   County    (Ohio),    155 

Washington  Territory,  101 

Way,   Paul,    190,   323 

Wayne  County   (Indiana),  41 

Wayne  Township  (Henry  County), 
147 

Wedding  dinner,   266 

Wesleyan  missionaries,   234 

West,  migration  of  Quakers  to,  31-37, 
85,  86;  testing  of  Quakerism  in, 
66 ;  population  of,  67 ;  Quakers  in 
other  churches  in,  90 ;  contact  of 
Quakers  with  Indians  in,  203 ;  ref- 
erence to,   205,    240 

West  Branch,  125,  159,  160,  163, 
180,  319,  320,  328;  separation  at, 
173,  174;  arrival  of  Brown  at, 
192;   Indian  school  at,  225 

West  Branch  Academy,   246 

West  Branch  Preparative  Meeting, 
173 

West  Branch   Quarterly  Meeting,    174 

West  Branch  Quarterly  Meeting  of 
Conservative  Friends,   182 

West  Indies,  mission  work  in,  121; 
reference  to,  233 

West  Liberty,  Hicksite  Friends  at, 
149;  reference  to,  317 

Western  Plain,   76 

Western  Plain  Quarterly  Meeting,  es- 
tablishment  of,    72,    75 

Western  Quarterly  Meeting,   44,   54 

Western  Yearly  Meeting,  81,  199,  206 

Westmoreland    (England),   22 

Weston  (Missouri),  negro  school  at, 
200 


Westward  movement,  lines  of,  33 

Whig  party,  314 

White,   John,   309 

White,  Josiah,  schools  provided  for  in 
will  of,  215,  216;  reference  to,  217, 
218,  225,  228,  231;  attempt  to  ful- 
fill will  of,   226-231 

White,   Mary  E.,   238 

White's  Iowa  Manual  Labor  Institute, 
provision  for,  215,  216;  early  years 
of,  216-218;  operation  of,  by  State, 
218-223;  Indian  school  at,  224- 
226;  period  of  decline  at,  226,  227; 
law-suit  concerning,  227-229;  re- 
cent years  at,  229-231 

Whitewater    (Indiana),    54 

Whitewater  Valley,  35 

Whittier,    158 

Whittier,  John  Greenleaf,  331 

Whittier  College,  98,  227,  331,  332; 
meetings  held  by  students  of,  171; 
history  of,   242,   243 

Whittier  College  Association,  242 

Whittier  Quarterly  Meeting  (Califor- 
nia), 310 

Wilbur,  John,  controversy  between 
Gurney  and,  154;  sketch  of  life  of, 
318 

Wilbur  Friends,  origin  of  sect  known 
as,  154;  appearance  of,  in  Iowa, 
154-158 ;  growth  of  meetings  of,  in 
Iowa,  158;  characteristics  of,  158, 
159 ;  number  of,  159 ;  refusal  of,  to 
unite  with  other  branches,  159 ; 
school  maintained  by,  160-162;  ref- 
erence to,  181,  257,  277;  uniting 
of,  with  other  churches,  310 

Williams,    Francis,    154 

Williams  family,  52 

Williamsburg    (Indiana),   41 

Wilson,  Abram,   174 

Wilson  family,  43 

Winneshiek  County,  Quaker  settle- 
ments in,  70-72;  reference  to,  305 

Winneshiek  Monthly  Meeting,  estab- 
lishment of,  71,   72 

Winneshiek  Preparative  Meeting,  es- 
tablishment of,  71,  72 

Winneshiek  Quarterly  Meeting,  83,  99 

Wisconsin,   101,   176 


360 


INDEX 


Wisconsin  Territory,  44 

Wise,   Henry  A.,    195 

Wit,  character  of  Quaker,  279 

Women,  ministry  of,  261;  reason  for 
separate  meetings  of,  261 

Women's  Foreign  Missionary  Society, 
236 

Wood,  Joseph  M.,   149 

Woodward,  P.  C,  52 

Woodward,  Stephen,  62 

Woody,  John  W.,  242,  332 

Woolman,  John,  36 

Wooten,  Isom  P.,  101,  311,  313;  la- 
bors of,  as  General  Superintendent, 
119,  120;  revival  held  by,  165,  166 


Worcester    (Massachusetts),    286 
Wright,  John,    149 
Wrightsborough   (Georgia),  36 

Yadkin  County  (North  Carolina),  313 

Yadkin  River,  33 

Yearly  Meeting,  first,  in  America,  28; 
need  for,  73,  75;  character  of,  75; 
proposal  for  establishment  of,  75- 
77;  holding  of  first,  in  Iowa,  80- 
84;  duty  of,  in  choice  of  ministers, 
113  (see  also  Iowa  Yearly  Meeting) 

Yearly  Meeting  Boarding  School,  215 

Yocum,   Anna,   179 

Yorkshire  (England),  22 


•5035522372 


Jones. 

^,  Quakers  of.l^^X 


f 


«»" 


